


The Fourth Star

by thathermitweirdo



Category: Hermitcraft, Minecraft - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Brainwashing, Manipulation, Mind Control, Minecraft evolutions - Freeform, Watchers, YouTubers - Freeform, evo - Freeform, hemitcraft, minecraft evolutionary, minecraft youtubers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:01:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 33,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25292059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thathermitweirdo/pseuds/thathermitweirdo
Summary: Xisuma was an admin appointed by the Watchers. He is stuck under their control, and he hates every second of it. He's forced to let the watchers look through his eyes, use him like a puppet.But when a new watcher appears, Xisuma may have a chance to escape their control, to free the server from their grip.But he's going to have to make a choice.Save Grian, the new watcher, Or save himself.This is an original watcher au, it is not following any of the rules that ATUS has set.
Comments: 100
Kudos: 235





	1. Chapter 1

"I-I don't want to be an admin!" The man screamed, fighting with the pearlescent white snake that was crawling up his leg. The two otherworldly beings didn't say anything, their pointed ears slightly twitching. The two were watching as the small snake fought back, sinking it's fangs into the man's leg. It seemed to bite through the man's purple armor, the snakes fangs digging into the man's skin. He let out a shout of pain as his knees locked up, the man beginning to loose his balance. He stumbled onto the ground, the man on his knees in front of the two watchers. The serpent took its fangs out of his leg, as it crawled up his back, the horrifying creature sticking out its forked tongue. The small snake began to coil around the man's neck, slightly choking him.

"Please...I don't want this.." The man said weakly, as the snake situated itself on the man's neck.

"Xisuma, this is a gift, You’re an admin now. You’re going to be able to protect your server now. Now, let’s make this easy. Give in, and this can all be resolved...” The tall woman said softly, bending down and comforting the admin. Xisuma was trying to rip the snake off his neck, cussing as it wouldn't budge. With a wave of her hand, a puff of galaxy-like smoke began to surround Xisuma. He began to choke on the galaxy dust, the blue glittery powder entering his lungs and burning the admin's throat.

"Calm down Xisuma." The male watcher said, fixing his hair. "Ancel, hurry and take control already." The watcher said, watching as the snake slithered around Xisuma's neck, before stopping by the admin's ear.

"Give up Xisuma, give me control.." the snake hissed, the snake easily manipulating Xisuma's mind. The admin covered his ears, trying to shake the words out fo his head. Ancel didn't stop, continuing to flick their tongue and whisper to Xisuma. Their painful words stung Xisuma's mind, as the snake began to tighten its grip on The admin’s neck before stabbing it's fangs right into Xisuma's shoulder. 

Xisuma collapsed onto the marble floor, shaking in the pain. The two watchers bent down, pressing their hands against Xisuma's back. A blue glow spread throughout the admin's body, changing his regular purple armor to a galactic blue, almost like a galaxy rested on his armor. The slow blue glow engulfed Xisuma's body, before his entire body was sparkling and decorated with miniature Stars.

"Xisuma, stand." The small snake hissed, curling around the admin's neck. Without hesitation, Xisuma stood, his visor tinted a dark shade of black, preventing anyone from seeing his glowing blue eyes. The two watchers simply smiled, both waving their hands and summoning a large cloud of galaxy-like dust.

"Xisuma, as you are now an admin, are you willing to risk everything to serve us? Are you willing to join the cause, and prevent anyone from coming between us and our goal..?" The female watcher asked, flipping her galaxy hair, purple sparkles flying off of her long hair. Xisuma nodded, bowing his head before the two watchers. The two raised their arms, galaxy dust rising as it swirled around Xisuma's body.

"We proclaim that Xisumavoid is now the admin of this server, who shall dedicate his life to us watchers." The male said, watching as the dust continued to rise, swarming like a tornado around Xisuma. The admin didn't react, his blank, unblinking stare hidden from the world. The dust consumed Xisuma, before he seemed to fade away, the sparkling glitter beginning to calm and settle on the marble floors. The two watchers turned away, making their way down the long hallway.

"Do you think Ancel can handle trying to control him?"

"Ancel hasn’t failed me before. She’s perfect for the job, she can watch over the server when we cannot. All we have to do is make sure the hermits do not interfere..”

~~~~~~~~ 

A small group of hermits watched as a blast in the sky created a cloud of blue galaxy dust, with Xisuma falling out of it. Doc was the first to react, strapping his elytra on and blasting off into the sky. Xisuma's limp body fell faster and faster, Doc blasting as many rockets as he could to boost himself. He tackled the admin mid air, catching Xisuma and holding the admin in his arms.

"X? X! Wake up!"

The admin didn't move, he was barely breathing, and Doc could barely recognize him. Although his suit and helmet was recognizable, it was strange to see Xisuma in a galaxy blue suit, which seemed to glow and sparkle. Doc began to slowly fall, gliding down to the empty shopping district, landing in the center of the large crowd of hermits. It was the start of Season 6, and the watchers had appeared out of nowhere, before taking Xisuma away.

"Is be okay?"  
"Why is he blue?"  
"What's with the Galaxy design on his suit?"  
"Is that a snake around his neck?"  
"Why-"

Everyone stopped talking the second Xisuma let out a light moan, sitting up and holding his head. He glanced around before realizing that he was in Doc's arms, the admin beginning to cuss and scream at Doc. 

"LET ME GO!" He screamed, punching Doc as hard as he could. The creeper let out a couple cusses, dropping Xisuma and stumbling back in shock. Mumbo moved from the crowd, about to bend down and help the admin stand, but Xisuma raised his arm, a blue glow surrounding his gloved hand. A faint blue aura surrounded Mumbo, causing him to freeze, Mumbo's eyes turning a dark shade of blue, before he was thrown backwards, slamming into Iskall and Tango, the three falling over into a pile.

"What was that?!"

Cleo cried, watching as Xisuma stood up, wiping the dirt from off his suit and walking away like nothing happened. All eyes were locked onto Mumbo, who groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head. His eyes had returned to normal, but Mumbo looked drained, his face pale and his eyes tired.

"Mumbo? Are you okay?" Scar asked, bending down and offering his hand to the mustached hermit. Mumbo was shaking as he took Scar's hand, his legs quivering. Mumbo has to lean on Scar for support, as his entire body was visibly shaking. Mumbo had tears at the ends of his eyes, his was in visible pain as the Redstoner tried to choke out words, his voice seeming to fail him.

Most watched as Xisuma lightly pet the snakes head, his back facing the rest of the hermits. He seemed to ignore the questions, the screams from around him.

"What the hell, X?! What did the watchers do to you?!"

"They helped me achieve what you couldn't. I'm something better than you could all imagine. I'm an admin now."


	2. Chapter 2

Hermits cowered in fear, hiding in the shadows, too afraid to face the smiling admin. His stiff movements and fake smile was easy to see through, but that wasn't what scared the hermits. It was who was behind the smile, who was in control of Xisuma. That snake. Ancel.

The pearlescent reptile was tightly curled around Xisuma's neck, whispering lies and commands into the admin's ear. No matter how hard the hermits tried, they couldn't seem to get through to Xisuma, his mind was practically lost to the watchers.

Xisuma has started it all. The wars. The conflicts. The fighting. He was trying to tear the server apart, and slowly but surely, it was working. The hermits knew that the galaxy admin couldn't be trusted, but he was given some sort of power, thanks to the watchers. His lies seem so believable. Everything he said seemed to shake your mind, confusing you and making you question everything.

Xisuma had manipulated Doc and Ren into starting an entire war, tricking Doc into thinking that Ren had stollen all of the stock exchange's fortune, and then destroyed the place. The two quickly became enemies, and sides were being chosen, conflicts arising. The war may have ended long ago, but tensions were high. People banned others from their shops, small pranks turned into large conflicts, and worst of all, you couldn't trust anyone.

Even business partners, like Mumbo and Iskall, or Cub and Scar, didn't trust one another, consistently living on edge. Once Xisuma had tricked Iskall into thinking that Mumbo was responsible for breaking the entirety of Sahara, even though the Swede has watched as Xisuma poured water all over The Redstone. And when X claimed that Mumbo and done it, Iskall's mind drew blank, the Swede completely forgetting about Xisuma's sabotage.

So, hermits barely talked to one another. Sometimes it didn't seem like they were friends. Just making eye contact with a hermit in the shopping district can lead to flat out war. They didn't want this, the hermits just wanted to return to their old way of life. But they couldn't. Not with Xisuma. Not with the watchers.

Mumbo sat in Sahara's meeting room, running his hand through his mustache. Across from the glass table, Iskall sat in their chair, glaring at the mustached redstoner. The Swede was still convinced that Mumbo had destroyed the redstone, and they still didn't forgive the mustached man, even after Mumbo had repaired everything, making the redstone work twice as fast.

"How are Sahara's sales..?" Mumbo asked, slightly smiling at Iskall. The Swede rolled their eyes, tossing a small pile of diamonds onto the table, causing Mumbo to frown. Sales had plummeted, not just for Sahara, but for everyone. Lies spread like wildfire, and soon enough, it wasn't just X spreading falsehoods. People believed that no one could be trusted, and very few were trying to fight Xisuma's lies. 

Stress and TFC seemed to band together, the two disappearing without a trace. Every now and again, few hermits would see the two, as they were working together in TFC's bunker. Mumbo longed to join them, he wanted things to return to normal. But Lies flew around Mumbo's mind, buzzing around his skull. He barely trusted Iskall, how could the mustached hermit trust Stress or TFC?

Mumbo's paranoia seemed to be the worst out of all the hermits. He was naturally very worried at times, and Xisuma's magic seemed to make it worse. Ever since Mumbo's first interaction with the newly appointed admin, Mumbo has been constantly afraid of what he can do. The Redstoner couldn't move for days after X's magic had sent him flying backwards, dark magic still lingering in Mumbo's body.

The Redstoner let out a quick sigh, standing up and shoving his hands into his pockets. He left the meeting room, the Swede and the mustached man barely looking at one another as they parted ways. Iskall flew back to their base, while Mumbo simply wandered the empty streets, barely looking up from the ground.

"Mumbo?" Called a feminine voice, a British accent as well. The Redstoner looked up from the ground, stumbling back at the sight of TFC and Stress, the Redstoner trying to think clearly, as his head went foggy.

"You alright luv?" Stress asked rather sweetly, smiling at the mustached man.

"I-I..u-uh-..." Mumbo tried to speak, his words a jumbled mess. The Redstoner's legs were shaking, as he looked over Stress's shoulder, Xisuma in the distance. A small flash of light startled Mumbo, the Redstoner stumbling back a bit, rubbing his eyes as he seemed to black out.

"Mumbo! Kid! Snap outta it!" TFC called, snapping in front of Mumbo's face. The mustached man shook his head, realizing now he was hanging on TFC for support. The Redstoner fumbled to his feet, falling backwards a bit. Mumbo opened his mouth to speak, but no words escaped his mouth.

"Mumbo, calm down..." Stress said in a soft voice, watching as Mumbo started to hyperventilate. He didn't know what was happening, the Redstoner felt like he was wrapped in chains, seemingly trapped. TFC extended his hand to help the Brit, but Mumbo slapped his hand away, slightly growling as a wave of anger and paranoia crashed over the horrified Redstoner.

"Stay away from me!" He screamed, taking a few steps backwards, pulling his sword out. "How can I trust any of you?!"

"Mumbo, it's alright kid-" TFC started, but the mustached man wasn't listening to him, Mumbo turned away, bolting down the streets, tears falling from his eyes. The Redstoner couldn't trust them.

He couldn't trust anyone.

~~~~~~~~~

"Ancel. Release control."

The pearlescent snake slowly crawled down Xisuma's leg, his blue galaxy like suit seeming to drain away, the admin's former purple armor returning. Xisuma fell to the marble ground, weak, and in pain. Ancel didn't care though, she only listened to the watchers, barely caring about her host. The snake moved swiftly towards the watchers, crawling up the male watcher's leg, and curling up around his neck.

"Now, do tell. What is the status of the server?" The male watcher said, gently petting the top of Ancel's head.

"Utter chaossss! The hermitsss can't resssisst Xisuma'ssss newfound abilitiessss....they're at each othersss throatsss with swordsss. They genuinely hate one another!" The beautiful snake said, hissing through a few of the words.

Xisuma let out a small groan in pain. Pushing himself off the ground, the admin freezing cold. Without Ancel, Xisuma was incredibly weak, his body no longer able to function without the snake's guiding voice. 

A gloved hand was offered to Xisuma, the admin gratefully taking the female watchers hand, letting the tall woman help X up. Xisuma leaned on her soft, silk dress, warmth spreading throughout the admin's body within seconds. Whether it be the luxurious lilac dress, or the watcher's magic, Xisuma May never know.

"C-Celeste...?" Xisuma asked weakly, looking up at the beautiful watcher. Her hair was like a galaxy, gentle waves running through her sparking hair. Her pointed ears slightly twitched, her black eyes and dark purple pupils seeming to glow. Her purple skin was smooth and beautiful, matching her dress almost perfectly. The watcher simply smiled at the admin, a tired, yet true smile.

"Yes Xisuma. I need to show you something. Let us not disturb Ancel and Enzo. They need to speak with one another." Celeste said, pulling Xisuma down through the dimly lit corridors. Her heels clicked against the marble floors, the only form of light in the room being the moonlight that leaked in Through the tall windows. Xisuma had been through the watcher's palace before, times when Ancel was meeting with the watchers. But there was no escape. No exit. The only way in or out was to be transported by the watchers.

The windows looked out at a galaxy, stars glowing in the sky, as the violet curtains on the wall gently waved in the hall. Xisuma had never been in this part of the castle, tall, elegant doors across from the long windows. Celeste ignored them all, continuing to the end of the hallway, where a grand door stood, the oak wood beautiful and strong.

Celeste grabbed the round door handles, pulling open the grand doors, the hinges squeaking as the doors fully opened, revealing a master bedroom. Large bookshelves against the walls, candles on the chandelier lighting the dim bedroom. There was a desk, all sorts of watcher writing on scrolls, along with an ink and quill.

There was a king size bed, velvet sheets that looked warm and comforting. They haven't been used yet, the feathery pillows soft and inviting. But Xisuma's eyes were drawn to the window sill, a small man with pointy ears looking out on the galaxy world. He wore a silk purple cloak, similar to Enzo's. His dirty blonde hair seemed to glow under the candle light, his eyes soft and sorrowful. He didn't look up as the two entered the room.

"Xisuma, meet Grian."


	3. Chapter 3

Xisuma watched as the small man let out a quick sigh, turning around and hopping off the window seat, Xisuma able to examine Grian fully, and not just half his face. The small man had pointed ears, similar to the watchers, but his skin was pale, not purple. His hair was unkept, and his eyes were pale, red from crying. His robe was much too big for him, the sleeves too long, practically hanging off his arms. Celeste walked over to Grian, bending down and whispering soft, comforting words into his ear. It was clear that she was trying to calm him down, but why?

"Grian's server descended into chaos. We were unable to control the inhabitants, and the world was destroyed right before Grian's very eyes. So we took him in. Grian will be trained to be a watcher, meaning he is your superior. Is that clear, Xisumavoid?"

"But-" Xisuma started, the admin taking a step forward, before a cold feeling shot throughout the admin's body. Celeste was glaring at him, her eyes glowing an eerie purple, her face serious and stiff.

"Is that clear...?" She repeated, standing to her full height, towering over Xisuma, who seemed to sink into the ground. A half smile crawled on Celeste's lips, her eyes never leaving the admin as she raised her hand, a purple glow similar to her eyes surrounding her hand. The watcher snapped her fingers, Xisuma freezing in place, the admin now visibly shaking. Celeste pulled Grian a bit closer to her, the small man clearly uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything, watching as X couldn't stop shaking in fear.

"Now remember Xisuma. We created Ancel. We can create more who will control your friends. That is, if you disobey us. You don't want that, now do you.?"

"N-no Celeste.." Xisuma said, his voice quivering as he spoke. The watcher nodded, snapping her fingers once more. Xisuma fell to the ground, shaking his head and coming back to his senses. The admin looked up in fear at the two watchers, Grian looking rather shameful and scared.

"Enzo should be done with Ancel." Celeste said, moving towards the door. "Grian, help Xisuma stand. Then we shall take you two back to hermitcraft."

"H-he's coming!?" Xisuma said, dumbfounded, standing in his own and slightly growling under his breath, the admin's blood bubbling. He only gave into the watchers because they threatened to take control of the entire server. He wasn't going to bring some stranger to his server!

"Do you like to have to meet with us, Xisuma? Do you like coming here? With a watcher on the ground, you wouldn't have to come here anymore. We haven't done it before because we look nothing like you hermits. But Grian..." she slightly laughed under her breath, turning her back on the admin. Xisuma just scoffed, looking down at Grian, who was fiddling with his long sleeves. Celeste looked back at the two, the golden circlet on her head slightly glowing a dark purple as she smiled.

"Pack your essentials, Grian. We are leaving the second Ancel has control once more. Xisuma, make yourself useful and help Grian pack."

Celeste disappeared into a puff of purple smoke, Xisuma growling once she was gone. He hated the watchers with a fiery passion. If he could just escape them for a single moment, if he could be free from Ancel's control for five minutes-

"Xisuma..?" Grian called, tapping him on the shoulder. The admin drew in a light breath, removing his helmet and rubbing the space between his eyes, burning hatred filling his mind. X let out a quick breath, before placing his helmet back on, turning to Grian.

"Let's just get this over with." Xisuma said, moving to Grian's window seat and lifting a dusty old book off the cushions, studying the book before Grian quickly noticed what the admin was holding, running over and yanking the book from his hands, the small watcher shoving the book into his old backpack.

"Please Don't touch anything..." Grian said, turning to his desk and picking a couple more papers, gently placing them into his bag. Xisuma rolled his eyes, sitting down onto the window seat, practically sinking into the cushions below him. It had been a while since he'd last sat down, it's been a while since Xisuma had been free.

X watched as Grian swiftly moved throughout his bedroom, pulling out books and small objects, putting them away before X could take a good look at them. Grian pulled a box from out under his bed, shoving a red sweater into his bag, before slinging the backpack over his shoulder. Grian nervously looked to the admin, giving him a half smile to show that he was done. Xisuma rolled his eyes once more, already fed up with the new watcher.

"Let me take your bag, oh great watcher!" Xisuma said, rather sarcastically as he yanked Grian's bag from his hands, watching as he didn't seem to say anything, his frown only deepening.

"Lets...let's just go back to the others..." Grian said, his words hurt as the small watcher walked right past Xisuma, the admin slowly following behind him. If X could just get out of here, escape this wretched place, then maybe he could fix the conflict that Ancel had caused.

He just had to find a way to escape their control.

~~~~~~~~

Stress fiddled with her thumbs, her and TFC Both sitting in silence as the two's hot tea sitting in front of them began to cool. Xisuma's magic had caused countless threats of war, friendships to rip apart within seconds, and death. So much death. Sure, hermits would simply respawn, but it was common, too common. Death messages startled Stress almost every moment, her phone blowing up as Doc seemed to have killed Ren, something very common after the two's large war.

The strange thing is, Stress and TFC we're seemingly unaffected by Xisuma's magic, the two barely paranoid, and all around the same as before. But that doesn't mean that they aren't worried. The server is tearing right before their eyes, their friends sending death threats to one another. TFC was deep in thought, staring down at his cup of Tea, watching as the steam Rose from the cup. The old hermit let out a small sigh, before looking to Stress, who was also lost in thought.

"Stress?" TFC said, his voice rather quiet, although the two were deep underground, no one able to hear them.

"Hm?" Stress looked up, snapping out of her day dreaming state. "What is it luv?"

"Do you think the hermits are okay..? Do you think they know that Xisuma has manipulated them..?" TFC asked, his voice slightly shaking as he gripped his pants, holding tight and having no intentions on letting go. Stress let out a quick sigh, picking up her tea cup and taking a sip.

"From what I can tell, no...Iskall came to my castle once. They were with Xisuma, but Iskall didn't care about him...Iskall kept accusing me of doing something, but I can't remember what. I've never seen Iskall anger before, but it was horrifying. And X was just watching from a distance...he did it to Iskall, I just know it.." Stress said, rather relieved to finally get that off her chest. She had asked to hide out with TFC, but she never told him why. Iskall visited stress around 3 weeks ago, and since then she hadn't talked to any hermits, besides Mumbo and TFC, that is.

"I just don't get it.." TFC started, taking an annoyed tone of voice.

"Why Xisuma? And why would the watchers give us an admin? We've been doing this for 5 seasons, without watcher interruptions...so why now..? And why do they want to tear the server apart..?"

Stress let out a small breath before standing up, setting down her tea cup and turning to TFC, a serious look on the Brit's face.

"We have to figure out what's going on. We could be the only ones who can stop this.."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates on everything. I have another account on Wattpad, where I post my stories first. The stories that I have been posting on AO3 have been pre-written, but not finished. I have been focusing on other stories besides the fourth Star and Different, but I promise I will try to update more <3

"Xisuma. Grian." Enzo greeted the two, The admin glancing to the floor as his name was called. Xisuma carried Grian's belongings as the two made it to the long hall, Celeste walking to greet the two. Ancel was curled up around her wrist, the snake eyeing Xisuma as she flicked her tongue. Celeste simply smiled as the admin let out a quick breath, gently taking Ancel in his gloved hands, watching as the snake curled up in a ball, before looking up at X. Ancel's blue eyes flashed, Xisuma's body going numb and weak as he seemed to freeze, unable to think as Ancel claimed the admin's mind.

Grian watched in horror as Ancel crawled up Xisuma's arm, swiftly moving towards the admin's neck, curling up and situating herself. The blue glow returned to Xisuma's body, his purple suit changing to a galaxy blue, small stars shining on his body. Xisuma's eyes were empty as he stood upright, his body stiff as he looked to the watchers, expecting instructions to guide him.

"Xisuma. Please escort Grian to hermitcraft. He will watch over the realm from the ground. You listen to him, as he is your superior. If any hermits cause trouble, Grian shall deal with them." Celeste said, shocking Grian, the small watcher almost tripping on his long cloak.

"W-what? What am I supposed to do with them..?!" Grian questioned, slightly afraid for the hermits. Grian didn't want to be a watcher, he was simply taken as his world fell apart. Sure, he knew a little magic, but he couldn't create creatures like Ancel.

"Just bring them to us, Grian." Enzo said, his pointed ears twitching as the tall watcher loomed over Grian. "We will make sure that they won't interfere."

Grian was practically shaking, he had never seen this side of the watchers. Celeste seemed to notice his fear, as she studied Grian, but she didn't say anything. The tall watcher turned away, joining Enzo's side. Xisuma took a knee, bowing before the two, as they both raised their hands, a purple glow forming in the palm of their hands. The purple glow created a small cloud of dust, which began to swirl around Xisuma and Grian, before swallowing up the two entirely, the dust fading away once the two had been. 

~~~~~~~

"Come along watcher Grian." Xisuma called, the small watcher sitting up and groggily rubbing his head. Xisuma and Grian had been transported back into hermitcraft, the two in the center of the shopping district, which was barren and empty. Grian tugged on his long cloak, uncomfortable about the new surroundings. Xisuma's movements were robotic as the admin helped Grian stand, slightly bowing in his presence. Grian just nervously smiled before moving down the path, glancing around at all of the shops in awe, Xisuma trailing behind him. Ancel curled tighter around Xisuma's neck, the snake flicking her tongue.

"Xisuma, Grian must remain undercover. His identity as a watcher must not be exposed, is that clear..?"

Xisuma nodded his head, unable to think correctly without Ancel manipulating his mind. The admin led Grian through the shopping district, the two barely speaking to one another, Xisuma only watching as Grian looked upon the builds in awe, clearly intrigued by them all. He was most interested in a large building that Mumbo and Iskall had created out of concrete, Grian moving in closer for a better look at the shop. Xisuma followed Grian into Sahara, where Mumbo and Iskall were arguing, like normal. 

"This is all your fault!" Iskall screamed, pointing to the creeper explosion that had destroyed the front part of Sahara, along with most of the redstone.

"Me?! You were the one who didn't light this place up! Thanks to you, we now have to rewire this redstoner, and rebuild this area!" Mumbo said annoyed, folding his arms and turning his back on Iskall with an annoyed groan. The two continued to bicker, before Xisuma cleared his throat, startling the two, both of the Redstoner's eyes going wide.

"O-oh! H-hey X....!" Mumbo said nervously, the two hermits both incredibly paranoid, watching as the admin turned around, revealing Grian, who had hid behind Xisuma when Iskall and Mumbo had started to fight. The small watcher's pointed ears were hidden behind his dirty blonde locks, his cloak now acting as a cape, revealing a soft red sweater, and grey pants underneath. Grian nervously smiled at the two, but he didn't say anything, watching as Iskall and Mumbo looked to one another, than back at Grian and Xisuma.

"W-who is this, Xisuma..?" Iskall asked nervously, the Swede glancing at Grian, who just smiled at Iskall. Xisuma gently shoved Grian forward, the small watcher slightly tripping on his feet. Mumbo caught Grian before he fell, still worried and paranoid about him, as Xisuma's magic seemed to do that to his mind. 

Ancel tightened her grip around Xisuma's neck, the snake's blue eyes flashing, causing the admin's eyes to flash from behind his visor, the admin's posture stiffening as he stood upright, his eyes glassed over and empty as he spoke.

"Meet Grian, the newest hermit. I would like one of you to watch him until he can make a base of his own." Xisuma said, his voice monotone and empty.   
Iskall and Mumbo looked to one another, then back at Xisuma, who frowned as neither responded.

“Fine. If neither of you will volunteer, I’ll make you.” The admin said with a smile, as he raised his hand, a blue glow surrounding Xisuma’s body, as he snapped his fingers, Magic pulsing throughout the room.

Mumbo suddenly stood upright, his smile clearly forced, yet wide and happy. His mind was foggy, his thoughts slow and calm, as his mind was filled with happy moments, forcing Mumbo to smile, although paranoia still rested in the back of The Redstoner's mind, still having a small effect on Mumbo's conscious.

"I would love to have Grian stay with me, Admin." Mumbo said, unable to control the words that came out of his mouth. A small smile curled on Xisuma's lips, as he snapped his fingers once more, Mumbo falling to his knees. The Brit gasped for breath, rubbing his hands on his neck, as if he had been choked. Xisuma just turned away, leaving the three alone in Sahara, Mumbo and Iskall paranoid, while Grian was only guilty for the pain that the two were in.

"Are you oka-"  
"Don't get near me!" Mumbo screamed, stumbling to his feet while still holding his neck in pain. The Brit tried to move away from Grian, but his legs were stuck in place, the Redstoner unable to move. Mumbo glanced around before spotting Xisuma, his hand glowing blue, the admin's eyes narrowed at the mustached hermit. Xisuma raised his hand once more, snapping his fingers, returning the happy, peaceful feeling to Mumbo's mind, The Redstoner standing upright as he turned to Grian, smiling.

"Grian! I'm so sorry about how I mistreated you, I would love for you to come and stay with me at my base until you have your own suitable home." Mumbo said robotically, as he smiled at the small hermit, Grian looking to Iskall for help, who was just as scared as Grian was. Mumbo grabbed the small watcher's wrist, tugging him towards the large nether portal, the two quickly disappearing into the nether.

Iskall looked to where Xisuma had been standing, the admin disappearing in a puff of smoke, no trace of him ever being there. The Swede ran their hands throughout the messy knots in their hair, Iskall beginning to question what was real, and what was Xisuma controlling them. It felt like it had happened so many times, most of the hermits submitting to X's control.

All but two hermits.  
StressMonster, and Tinfoilchef.


	5. Chapter 5

"Doc, Please.... I swear-" Ren tried to speak, before a trident impaled him in the chest, sending Ren tumbling backwards, his sunglasses falling off his face. Doc let out a low growl as he stepped forward, crushing Ren's sunglasses under his foot. The creeper cyborg yanked his bloody trident out of Ren's chest, Doc's eyes glowing an eerie blue as his cold words practically slapped Ren in the face.

"I don't want your excuses. I want you to admit it! You stole those Diamonds! You destroyed the entire stock exchange!" Doc spat, circling around Ren while still pointing his trident at his head, ready to kill Ren within seconds. Ren shook in pain, holding his bloody chest as he tried to choke out something to try and calm Doc down.

"Doc, I didn't do it! It was Xis-" Ren tried to reason with the creeper, before Doc shoved the trident right through Ren's head, who disappeared in a puff of smoke, his body fading away as Ren respawned in his bed, the death message popping up on all of the hermit's communicators. 

Doc dropped his trident, letting out a tired groan, as his eyes returned to normal, the creeper's weak legs shaking as he tumbled to the ground. Doc lie still In the middle of the shopping district, footsteps approaching Doc rather quickly, before Xisuma came into the creeper's line of sight, the admin smiling from behind his visor.

"Hello Doc." The admin called in a cold, harsh voice, causing Doc to sit up, grabbing his trident and pointing it directly at Xisuma's neck, the snake coiled around him barely moving. Doc let out a low growl as he steadily stood up, trying not to show how exhausted he really was.

"What do you want..?" Doc said in a low growl, aware that the admin had been controlling him just moments before. Xisuma just chuckled a bit, snapping his fingers and watching as Doc stood upright, the creeper's arms at his side as he dropped the trident, frozen in place. Xisuma simply smiled, as the admin pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Doc, who robotically took the paper, growling under his breath as he crushed the paper in his hand in anger.

"The watchers have asked me to assign this job to a hermit, and I have chosen you, Doc." Xisuma said, turning his back on the Creeper, releasing Doc from his control. The cyborg tumbled to the ground, gasping for breath. The admin took a knee, now eye level with Doc, as Xisuma grabbed Doc by his chin, forcing the creeper to look at X, both of the hermit's eyes flashing as the two made eye contact. 

"Get to work, Doc. No letting anyone know. That's an order." Xisuma spat, before disappearing in a puff of smoke, causing Doc to choke, coughing through the thick mist. The creeper looked down at the crumpled paper in his hand, smoothing out the blueprints for what seemed to be a government facility, plans for a holding facility and warehouses, seemingly used to hold important things, or even people.

"He's crazy if he thinks I'll build that.." Doc said with a huff, taking a stand and dropping the paper as he wiped the dirt off his torn lab coat. Doc tried to turn away, attempting to leave the paper behind. But he didn't move, his legs wouldn't obey his commands. Doc's eyes were drawn to the scrap of paper laying in front of him, the plans sticking out to him, inspiration flooding the creeper's head. 

Doc slowly bent down, picking the paper off the ground, smoothing out the plans and studying them once more. His eyes swirled as he carefully studied the intricate drawing, ideas flew around his head at rapid speed. Suddenly Doc was running through the shopping district, trying to find Xisuma once more, his body moving for him, as Doc didn't seem to be in control. Xisuma had been wandering by Sahara, his hands behind his back as he whispered to Ancel, the two discussing something that sounded rather urgent, but Doc'e head tuned the two out, only focused on one thing.

"Ah. Doc. What can I help you with..?" Xisuma asked, his eyes glowing as he looked back at Doc, the creeper gripping the paper tightly in his robotic hand.

"Where do I start construction, Admin?"

~~~~~~~~~~

“How has your time been in Hermitcraft, Grian?” Celeste asked quietly, her galaxy hair seeming to glow, along with her purple eyes and golden circlet. The three watchers stood in an empty void, no sound or light, other than the watchers that resided in the void.

“I-it’s been okay....Everyone is really paranoid. Xisuma has to force people to talk to me. I know it’s only been a week, and they’re really anxious about having a new hermit, but still....

I’ve been staying with a hermit by the name of ‘MumboJumbo.’ He isn’t horrible, but Xisuma is forcing him to be nice to me...” Grian said, uneasy as he tugged on his long cloak. Enzo took a step forward, his pointed ears slightly twitching as he studied the small watcher.

“Is this ‘MumboJumbo’ harming you..? If so, we will make sure he does not interfere with you any longer.” Enzo stated, straightening his back and showing off his full height, slightly intimidating Grian, who struggled as he tried to choke out a couple words to say.

“N-no..he’s not hurting me! He just...doesn’t like me...” Grian said, rather sadly. The truth of the matter was simple, Grian didn’t want to be apart of the watchers. They tore his server apart, they turned his friends against one another, they killed each other. And when no one was left, Grian was alone. It seemed like weeks, Grian considering the thought of suicide to escape the empty world.

Then the watchers found him.

Grian would have been mad, he would have hated the tall, other-worldly beings, but he was so weak, so sick of being alone. So, they took the small Evolutionist in, and Grian had been with them ever since. He had been staying with the watchers for quite some time, with Enzo and Celeste training him to become a magic-user. They two watchers didn’t tell Xisuma about Grian, keeping him secret until he was ready to join hermitcraft.

“Do any suspect you as a Watcher?” Celeste asked quietly, her voice calm and collected, snapping Grian out of his daydreaming state, before the small watcher quickly shook his head.

“Not that I know of...I mean, no hermit has seen a watcher before, right?” Grian asked, shifting his weight in uncertainty. 

“They have only heard rumors. Many of the hermits have came from differing servers, most having their own watchers.” Enzo clarified, before turning his back on Grian. “It is unlikely they know of your watcher Identity. However, if anyone finds out, you must terminate them.”

Grian gasped for breath, sitting up in his wool sheets, glancing around the dark area that he was in. Grian was in the beginnings of Mumbo’s base, which was almost completed. Mumbo was across the room, slightly moving in his own bed, before drifting back off to sleep. The small watcher took a deep breath, running his hand through the messy blonde locks atop his head, before flopping back down onto the fluffy sheets underneath him.

The watchers came to Grian while he slept, almost every night. It was starting to annoy Grian, he couldn’t seem to get a decent night’s rest. He didn’t necessarily need sleep, he mostly ran on magic. He needed rest often, but not like humans, he could go weeks without sleep or food. Normally, watchers wouldn’t need those sorts of things, the only thing they needed was the night sky to fuel their dark magic, But Grian was only half watcher, meaning he still needed rest every now and again.

“Grian...?” Mumbo asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes as the mustached redstoner glanced to the new hermit, with no response coming from him. Mumbo shrugged it off, getting comfortable once more under his covers. He didn’t care for Grian, he was actually afraid of him. Something about him wasn’t right. Something about Grian just...scared Mumbo.

But no matter how hard he tried, Mumbo couldn’t seem to figure out what.


	6. Chapter 6

Xisuma leaned on a tree for support, hiding away in the shadows of the shopping district, silently watching the interactions of the hermits. Violence broke out, as usual, but Xisuma didn't get into Cub and Scar's fight, he just held Ancel in the palms of his gloved hands, looking down at the magic creature. 

"A-ancel..I can't do this.. I-I'm too exhausted.." Xisuma pleaded with the snake, the admin quivering as Ancel curled around his wrist, her eyes flashing as she flicked her tongue, Ancel's words manipulative and soft.

"Come on, Xisssssuma. It'ssss jussst a bit of magic."

"Every time you use magic, I get weaker! I-I haven't slept in days, I can't remember the last time I ate, and I hate treating my friends like this!" 

"Well, you don't have a sssay in thisss. The watchersss have a plan, and I'm here to make you follow it.." Ancel spat, crawling up Xisuma's arm and tying herself around the admin's neck. Xisuma let out a sad sigh, sitting down in the shade of the oak tree that he was standing under. He hadn't gotten a break since he was summoned by the watchers, Ancel was incredibly controlling and manipulative, barely giving Xisuma an inch in his own mind.

"Xisuma!" A voice called, causing Ancel to choke the admin, putting him back under her control, the blue galaxy returning to his suit. The admin's eyes began to glow, as he turned around with a smile, facing Scar and Cub, both clearly uncomfortably by the admin's sinister grin. 

"What is it..?" Xisuma said with a hiss, his glowing eyes cold and empty as he studied the convexes, both incredibly worried and stressed, as Cub placed a hand on Xisuma's shoulder, barely noticing the snake coiled around the admin's neck.

"X, I know you're still in there. The server is falling apart, I'm not sure we can take it anymore. We really need you Xisuma. Please."

Xisuma didn't move as Cub spoke, his eyes glazed over, as the admin slowly took off his helmet, his hands shaking as tears were pricking at the admin's eyes, which were no longer glowing. Cub simply smiled, pulling the admin in for a hug, Xisuma barely breathing. He couldn't move on his own, he couldn't think on his own. Not anymore. Not without a watcher or Ancel. 

Cub suddenly stumbled backwards, holding his wrist in pain, as his pupils shrunk, shaking in fear as he studied Xisuma, before lifting his shaking hand and observing what had happened. A snake bit was on his wrist, which seemed to glow the eerie blue. 

"What the....?" Scar curiously asked, taking Cub's wrist and drawing his finger over the bite, Cub wincing in pain as he did so. Xisuma took a small step backwards, shaking as he watched Cub and Scar slowly back away from the admin, before running out of view, disappearing into the mess of shops. 

"A-Ancel...d-did you-"  
"Bite him? Yesss. I did. Now he'sss going to have bigger problemsss bessidess the ssserver." Ancel said, flicking her tongue as she curled up tighter around Xisuma's neck, the admin shaking his head as he attempted to resist her control.

"N-no. What did you do to Cub?!" Xisuma said, dropping his helmet as the admin held his head in pain, struggling to think right, his thoughts blurry and jumbled. Ancel didn't give the admin an inch, now choking Xisuma, the admin unable to breathe as he fell to his knees, shaking his head.

"Get out of my head! GET OUT!" He screamed, trying to rip Ancel off his neck, his hands weak and shaking as he struggled through the intense pain. Ancel growled as she flicked her tongue once more, before sinking her blood-stained fangs into X's hand, causing Xisuma's hand to go numb, dropping to his side.

"Xisssuma. Thiss isss enough." Ancel snarled, in a commanding voice, causing the admin to freeze up, his hand slowly reaching for his helmet, as Xisuma slowly rose, placing his helmet back onto his head, the blue galaxy returning to his suit. However, Ancel wasn't satisfied, continuing to swirl around Xisuma's neck, before sinking her teeth into Xisuma's neck, causing every part of X's body to lock up.

"That'ssss better." She hissed, Xisuma blatantly nodded in agreement to her words. The admin couldn't do anything about the pearlescent snake, he was buried too deep in his subconscious. It was almost like he was drowning in a sea of warm blankets, everything around him soft and calm, although he could hear the voices of his friends, their pleads trickling into his mind, before quickly fading away, Ancel preventing the admin from hearing the world around him.

But that was fine.

He only needed Ancel.

Ancel and the watchers.

~~~~~~~

Grian slowly crept through Mumbo's mega base, hiding behind a tree in Mumbo's forest area of the four biomes in his base. The small hermit silently watched as Mumbo worked meticulously, putting thought into every block he placed down. The mustached hermit dragged his redstone-caked fingers through the red powder, connecting the line of redstone with a repeater. 

At the moment, he was working on a concrete maker, as Grian had somehow managed to break Mumbo's original design. Or at least, Mumbo thought Grian broke it, when in reality, it was Iskall getting back at the mustached hermit for 'destroying' Sahara. 

Mumbo worked under the moonlight, his face stained with sweat and redstone, as he wiped his brow, letting out a satisfied sigh of relief. The Redstoner trudged towards his bed, to bothered to wash up or change before flopping down on his bed, already fast asleep as his feet hung off the edge of the bed.

Grian strapped on the elytra that Xisuma had given him, pulling a rocket and bracing himself, as the whistle of the rocket blasting into the air slightly startled Grian. He tried not to wake Mumbo as he soared away, heading away from Mumbo's sphere base, and towards the mainland in search of Xisuma. The admin didn't have a base, Ancel didn't allow Xisuma any free time to build or rest. So he was normally found patrolling the streets at night, the glow of his blue eyes easily revealing his location.

Grian landed behind the weary admin, who had been wandering by Impulse's iTrade shop, one of his legs limp and unmoving, causing the admin to have to drag it behind him as he walked. X's posture straightened as he spotted Grian, his eyes glazed over and blank. 

"Grian. How may I help you?" Xisuma asked, rather Dully, the admin seeming more tired than usual. Grian let out a small sigh, wrapping his purple cloak around himself, as the small watcher's ear's twitched, something that seemed to happen when he was uncomfortable.

"Xisuma, are you okay..?" Grian asked rather concerned, as he studied Xisuma's faint glow, which was normally not as pale as it was. The admin simply nodded, his tired eyes and pale skin hidden away from behind his helmet. Clearly he was lying, the admin looking more sickly than ever, his whole body slightly shaking as he tried to mumble a few words.

"I'm fi..." Before Xisuma could finish, he dropped to his knees, the color from his suit draining away, as the admin collapsed to the ground, his whole body quivering in a sickly way. Ancel moved across the ground and away from Xisuma's body, letting out a small hiss as Grian bent down, taking her in his hands.

"Ancel, what happened..?" Grian asked in a whisper, hoping none of the hermits saw him talking to a snake. Ancel simply curled around Grian's wrist, hanging off of it as he studied Xisuma's tired body. The snake let out a slight hiss in anger, before looking up at the small watcher, her eyes glowing as she spoke.

"Hissss body gave out on me. Clearly, Xisssuma couldn't handle my venom much longer." Ancel said, flicking her tongue at the unconscious admin. Grian tucked the pearlescent snake away, hiding her under his cloak, as he pulled out his communicator, yet another gift from Xisuma, before calling Mumbo and Iskall, two of the only hermits he knew. He quickly messaged them, telling the two about how Xisuma collapsed, but mentioning nothing about Ancel.

They couldn't know.

It was the only way to keep the hermits safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, these paragraphs and Dialogue isn't as long as usual, I've been kinda busy on Wattpad, I have quite a few stories I need to wrap up, but I can assure you that this chapter is important! Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy The Fourth Star.


	7. Chapter 7

"If he doesn't accept Ancel, then we're going to have to do it, Grian." Enzo said in a monotone voice, turning his back on the small watcher, who was pleading with the two otherworldly beings.

"Please don't! They don't deserve to be controlled!" Grian cried, trying to reason with Celeste and Enzo, the two barely paying attention to Grian anymore. Celeste turned to Enzo, mumbling a few things to her fellow watcher, who nodded at her words, turning back to Grian. Enzo held up his hand, and it seemed like he was holding a Star in the palm of his hands, glowing blue and purple particles swarming around the star. In a flash of light, the star faded away, and in its place, an animal of sorts. 

Similar to Ancel, they were pearlescent, the animal's white fur practically glowing. But instead of blue eyes, the creatures eyes matched the watchers, completely black sclera and glowing purple irises. The creature's ears perked up as it studied Grian, and the small watcher could now make out that the animal was a cat, it's cold glare unnerving for Grian.

"If Xisuma doesn't take role as admin and control this server, we'll do it for him. Is that clear, Grian..?" Enzo asked in a cold voice, as he stroked the cat's head gently, the magical animal letting out a soft purr. The watchers waiting until Grian nodded, before the two snapped their fingers, disappearing within an instant.

Grian gasped for breath as he glanced around, Mumbo and Iskall looking down at the small hermit. The two were concerned, as they looked between one another, and Grian, who was trying to calm his shaking body. Mumbo placed a hand on Grian's shoulder, taking a knee to become eye level with the worried hermit, his stare concerned and confused.

"Grian, are you alright? You passed out the second we got here." Mumbo said in a soft voice, trying to be patient as Grian tried to choke out an assortment of words, none of which made sense to the two other hermits.

"X-Xisuma..?" Grian managed to choke the admin's name out, causing Iskall and Mumbo to glance to one another, both obviously terrified at the mention of the admin's name. Iskall crossed their arms and let out a quick breath, as he studied Grian, the small hermit pulling his cloak around him, shaking in fear.

"X is fine." Iskall said, Grian letting out a sigh of relief. "He just needs rest. Joe and Stress are looking after him. B-but after Xisuma passed out, his magic...disappeared." Iskall said, not concerned, but relieved.

"I'm sure it's going to be back when X wakes up, but it feels great. We don't feel paranoid anymore." Mumbo said, quickly explaining what Iskall failed to. "We actually feel free for once. We can talk to one another, without violence."

"I missed these days.." Iskall said, letting out a sad sigh, with Mumbo nodding in agreement to his statement. Guilt filled Grian's stomach, his gut tying into knots. He didn't want the hermits to fight, he didn't want them to hate each other, it reminded the small hermit of Evo, when war broke out and destroyed the entire server. Grian is one of the watchers, so it's his fault that the hermits feel this way, as much as he hated to admit it.

"Grian? You alright?" Mumbo questioned, watching as color drained from the small builders face, his eyes shaking in terror as he looked up at Mumbo, before Grian jumped up from the ground and wrapped his arms around Mumbo's waist, shoving his face into the Redstoner's chest, trying not to break down into tears right then and there.

"I-I-I-I'm Sorry Mumbo...I'm so, so sorry...." Grian sobbed, trying not to mention the watchers, although they were the only thing on Grian's mind. If he could just tell the hermits, maybe he could protect them, but then the watchers....

Grian tried to forget their warning, as he pulled away from Mumbo, wiping the tears from his eyes and mumbling a weak 'sorry'. Iskall and Mumbo both looked worried and confused as to why Grian was suddenly getting emotional, but the two didn't say anything, Mumbo just took Grian's hand and tried his very best to calm the small hermit down.

"It's alright Grian. Whatever is wrong, we can help.." Mumbo said, a bit taken aback when Grian shoved The Redstoner away, taking a few steps away from the two and shaking his head, a few tears still in his eyes. Grian took a deep breath as he wiped his tears on his cloak, calming his shaking nerves as he took in a breath, looking at the two other hermits.

"Where is Xisuma?"

~~~~~~~

Grian glanced around the long hallways in Stress's castle, no sign of the ice Queen herself. It was late at night, barely any sound in the castle, so Grian assumed that she was asleep. The small hermit crept through the freezing hallway, pulling his cloak tightly around himself, a bit of rustling coming from underneath his cloak.

“Ancel. Don’t move..” Grian hissed in a low voice, just Incase someone managed to see movement coming from his shoulder, where the pearlescent snake was resting.

“Xisuma hasss woken up. I can feel his presence. We’re near him.” Ancel said, slithering down Grian’s arm and wrapping around his wrist, the snake cutting off Grian’s circulation, but the small watcher didn’t say anything, too focused on the task at hand. If he didn’t do this, then all of the hermits would suffer.

“Thisss room.” Ancel said, right as Grian passed a large wooden door. The small hermit returned to the door and slightly pushed it open, peering into the room. Xisuma was laying in a bed, reading a small book, no one else in the room. Grian pushes the door open and stepped into the room, Xisuma looking up, his expression morphing into one of terror as he spotted the small watcher.

“G-Grian..what are you doing here..?” Xisuma asked, although he already knew the answer, not surprised when Grian showed off his hand, Ancel curled around it.

“Hello Xisssumavoid.” Ancel said with a light hiss, the snake’s eyes glowing at Xisuma. The admin looked to Grian, his eyes pleading with the small watcher, as he mouthed the words ‘please’, hoping to escape Ancel’s control, just for another minute.

“I’m sorry Xisuma....” Grian said, feeling sick and guilty as he placed Ancel down onto the bedsheets, the snake moving faster than ever before, crawling up Xisuma’s back and preparing to curl around Xisuma’s neck, looking to Grian, who just nodded at the snake, before looking back at Xisuma, tears on the ends of his eyes.

“It’s either you, or the server.”


	8. Chapter 8

"Come on.." Stress said in a low voice, holding Tinfoilchef's wrist, as the two ran through the empty streets, the midnight sky revealing thousands of brilliant stars glistening over the two hermits, who had no time to admire the glorious night sky. The two nervously looked for the eerie blue glow of Xisuma, but when it was clear he wasn't in the shopping district, the two could let out a sigh of relief. 

"Why are we here?" Tin asked, pulling out his sword in a nervous panic, as he continued to look out for Xisuma. Stress was the one person left that wasn't paranoid, besides TFC himself, and Tin couldn't loose her, as he lost everyone else. The hermits were like his family, but to see them easily manipulated and fighting one another, Tin couldn't stand it much longer.

"Supplies.." Stress said, ordering a few golden carrots from Sahara, paying for them as she quickly grabbed the carrots from out of the shulker box, turning to leave before she was stopped, Iskall grabbing Stress's hand and startling the ice queen.

"I-Iskall. I didn't see you there..!" Stress said with a nervous laugh, the memories of Iskall snapping at Stress still vivid in the ice queen's mind. Iskall just seemed to be relived to see the two hermits, pulling Stress into a hug and letting out their signature laugh.

"Stress! I'm so happy to see you!" Iskall said, letting go of Stress and smiling at the brunette, who was looking to Tin for help, the elder hermit holding his sword to Iskall's neck, frowning at the Swede.

"What do you want, Iskall? The last time you saw her, you snapped at her." Tin said, remembering all the times Stress had told him about Iskall's bizarre behavior. Iskall just took a few steps back, the Swede clearly still guilty about what they said, but they just let out a quick sigh, looking to Stress, sadness in their eyes.

"Look Stress.. Xisuma was making me feel like that...I-I really didn't mean what I said to you, I swear..." Iskall said, trying to take a step forward, extending his hand to Stress, who flinched as if Iskall was going to hurt her. Iskall quickly took two more steps backwards, trying not to alarm Stress, the Swede wanting nothing more than to talk to her.

"So you admit you were under Xisuma's control..?" Tin said, still holding his sword as he raised an eyebrow at Iskall. "How do we know he's not controlling you now..?"

"Xisuma is unconscious, isn't he? I have some time before things go back to 'normal'. But I need your help." Iskall said, slightly paranoid as they glanced around the dark corners of Sahara, as if he was seeing things. Tin looked to Stress, making sure she was okay with Iskall, the brunette simply nodding. TFC put away his weapon, as Stress took a few steps towards Iskall, the Swede clearly afraid of hurting Stress again.

"Alright Iskall. I trust you. What's can we help you with?" Stress said, Iskall slightly smiling at her, as the Swede let out a heavy breath, fiddling with their fingers nervously.

"It's Doc and Cub. They disappeared. I didn't notice until I wasn't under Xisuma's control, but I can't find them anywhere. Scar is worried sick about Cub, and I don't know what to do.." Iskall said, the Swede running their hand through their messy brown hair, clearly stressed about the two's random disappearance. Stress simply took Iskall's hands, trying to help Iskall calm themself, as the Swede seemed to be hyperventilating, most likely trying to process everything that they've gone through.

"How did you find this out?" Stress asked in a quiet voice, trying not to alarm Iskall, who took in a deep breath, as they started to explain everything they knew.

"Scar came to me a few hours ago. He said that Cub wasn't answering his communicator, and that He couldn't find Cub. Then Ren called me a few minutes later, saying the same thing, but that Doc was missing. I think it has something to do with Xisuma, I mean, why would two hermits disappear while X wasn't in control of the server? Something is going on, I swear..."

Stress looked to Tin, who was just as baffled as she was. Two hermits missing? That didn't seem right, no wonder Iskall seemed so stressed. Normally, a few hermits missing wasn't that big of a deal, they were most likely working on a big project, and they wanted to keep it a secret. But something definitely felt off about this, especially because of all the strange things that have been happening, from the watchers, to the new hermit Grian.

"We'll help you find them." Stress said with a smile, TFC nodding in agreement. Iskall just smiled, pulling Stress into a hug once more, Before quickly letting go, awkwardly laughing a bit.

"Sorry, that was a bit unexpected.." They said, Iskall still seeming incredibly on edge, and with good reasoning. All the hermits were so paranoid, so scared of one another, Xisuma was the one person that they could trust, even though the admin only fed the hermits fear, making it grow and making everyones paranoia much, much worse. And now that they were free from the constant fear, even if it is for a little while.

If only Stress and Tin knew what they were going through, then maybe they could help the hermits. 

~~~~~~~

Xisuma smiled at Doc, the cyborg creeper growling underneath his breath, as he gripped his trident in anger. Doc had woken up with no memory of what he was doing, and before long he realized what was happening. He was constructing the facility that Xisuma had asked him to make, willingly. And by the looks of things, it was almost done.

"What the hell did you do to me...?" Doc growled in a low voice, raising his trident with no fear, wanting oh so badly to impale Xisuma with his weapon. The admin simply laughed at Doc, gently stroking the snake coiled around his neck, barely caring for the cyborg creeper and his threatening trident.

"I did nothing to you, Docm77." Xisuma said, Doc slightly flinching as Xisuma said his full name, the admin's sinister smile only growing. 

"Come along Doc." Xisuma said with a wave of his hand, the creeper grumbling as his legs forced him to follow the admin into one of the hanger bays, showing off all the work which Doc had done, although he didn't remember doing a single thing.

Xisuma lead the way, walking past the walls, which were lined with glass barriers, showing off small prison cells, a simple 2x2 space that was rather cramped. Doc kept walking until his body jerked to a stop, control returning to Doc as his pupils shrunk in fear, the creeper studying the bloody cage in front of him. 

It was just another cell, or at first glance it was. The walls were covered in a dark blue liquid, handprints in the blue gunk staining the glass, as if someone was repeatedly slamming their fists against the glass. It was barely transparent, the glass stained with the blue sludge, so much so that Doc could barely make out the body crumpled in the middle of the cell.

Xisuma places his hand on a scanner, the glass barrier opening up, revealing Cubfan in the center, his blood no longer red, but similar to the blue that had been stained on the glass. One of his hands had a bite mark on it, the glowing blue bite illuminating the veins on Cub's arm, causing the blood to glow an eerie blue, which spread all the way up to his neck, and was continuing to slowly spread.

"What did you do to him?!?” Doc screamed, whipping around and pulling out his trident once more, pointing it directly at the admin’s chest, who didn’t even flinch, simply laughing at Doc.

“Oh Doc.” Xisuma said, smiling at the creeper hybrid as he gently stroked the small reptiles head, the snake flicking its tongue happily in return. “He did it all to himself. He tried to snap Xisuma out of the trance that I spent so long putting him under. I couldn’t let that happen, I had to do something to stop him. I wouldn’t want to disappoint the watchers, now would I?” 

Doc was startled as he dropped his trident, taking a couple steps backwards. Xisuma’s voice was in sync with another voice, a small, female voice. It scared Doc, the creeper wanting to run for his life, he wanted to warn the others, he wanted to save Cub, but his legs weren’t moving, his body wasn’t listening. 

Doc suddenly tumbled to the ground, his legs completely numb, no feeling in his body at all. Doc could barely think straight as Xisuma laughed, the snake around his neck slowly making its way down Xisuma’s arm, and into the palm of the admin’s hand. Xisuma bent down, placing the snake into Doc’s chest, the creeper shaking in fear as the snake coiled itself around Doc’s neck, the small, manipulative voice whispering into Doc’s ear.

“Come now Doc. Let’s get to work. We must not keep the watchers waiting.”


	9. Chapter 9

"Why can't you just use Xisuma?" Doc growled at the snake which was curled around his robotic arm, hiding Beneath his lab coat. Ancel had kept the creeper conscious, barely controlling Doc as she let him think for himself. Ancel just let out a light hiss, her small voice quiet and tired.

"The hermits know of Xisuma'sss power. They fear him. But you are much easier to use. We must gain the hermit's trust. We must usssse them." She said impatiently, the snake moving beneath Doc's lab coat. The creeper just growled and continued to march forward, walking into Sahara, which seemed rather empty. The creeper took the bubblevator to the second level in Sahara, before exiting to the outside area, and heading towards TFC's bunker. 

"What do you want with TFC..?" Doc asked, rather worried as Ancel tightened her grip around Doc, the snake flicking her tongue, her eyes beginning to glow an eerie blue. "Xisuma'sss Magic is like sssstring." The snake explained in a low voice, Ancel sounding exhausted and weak. 

"He tied the ssstring around the hermitsss, tightening it when they got out of line. He had to tie more string around certain hermitsss, to make sssure they do not escape his control. But he ran out of sssstring, much too weak to keep all the hermits under his control. 

So instead of trying to control everyone, he let TinFoilChef and StressMonster free, but he kept the other hermitssss firmly tied to the sssstring. Xisuma holds the ssstring, and if he sssnaps out of the trance that I put him under, he will release his hold on the ssstring, letting the hermits free.

Because of this 'lack of ssstring', I have noticed that StressMonster and TinFoilChef have gone into hiding. The two are working with one another, which is something I cannot allow.

At the moment, I am using all my power to control you and Xisuma at the same time. I am barely controlling you, Docm77. If I fully put you under my control, then you would have access to Admin magic, which is not something I would like for you to have.

All I need is to lure the two out of hiding, and bring them to Area 77. Then I will have no need for you anymore."

Doc was unable to speak, trying to process everything that Ancel had told him. Why would Ancel reveal her entire plan? Even when Doc was still conscious and able to think for himself. And why would Ancel make him create Area 77? Couldn't they just make a small prison, instead of building a gigantic military base?

"I can sssssee you're questioning me, and doubting my power, Docm77." Ancel said, crawling up Doc's arm and wrapping around the creeper's neck, Doc freezing in place, his mind and body jerking to a stop. "Now Doc. You are going to bring TinFoilChef and StressMonster to Area 77 and lock them up. Is that clear?" Ancel asked, flicking her tongue.

"You can count on me Ancel.” Doc said, sudden giving into Ancel’s control. Deep down Doc still knew what he was doing, Doc knew he was going to hurt the hermits, yet he didn’t seem to care. He seemed to feel as though it was for the best. 

“I won't disappoint you, or the watchers."

~~~~~~~

"What...?"  
"No! I can't hurt him!"  
"B-but he doesn't know, he doesn't know anything, I swear!"  
"Please, I-I'll make sure he doesn't know, I-I swear! Just don't hurt him!"

Mumbo let out a small groan, squinting as he glanced around the room, Grian's voice echoing through Mumbo's head. The Redstoner sat upright in his bed, stretching his arms over his head and letting out a brief yawn. Grian was already up, meaning it was most likely morning. The mustached hermit put on his suit coat, he had simply taken it off before going to sleep, too exhausted to change out of his suit. The architect having spent the majority of yesterday working on Sahara alone, as Iskall had seemingly disappeared.

Mumbo put on his dress shoes and quickly fixed his hair, wanting to look presentable at the very least. He didn't feel as paranoid as before, The Redstoner much happier without Xisuma manipulating him. Mumbo still didn't trust Grian, but he enjoyed the small hermit's company.

The Redstoner straightened his tie as he walked towards his storage area, before realizing that it was the middle of the night. Two stars in the sky seemed to illuminate the entire world, giving the illusion, even if it was for only a couple seconds, that it was the middle of the day. Mumbo has never noticed the two stars, but no that he was looking at them, he couldn't seem to bring himself to look away, practically hypnotized by their beautiful glow.

"B-but he's my friend!" Grian screamed, snapping Mumbo out of his hypnotic trance. The Redstoner quickly looked away from the stars, trying not to pay any attention to the faint feeling in the back of his head, which pleaded with Mumbo, telling him to stare at the two stars for the rest of eternity.

Mumbo looked around for Grian, before spotting the small hermit, who, like Mumbo, was looking up at the night sky. His hair was moving, not with the gentle breeze, no, all on its own. Similar to Xisuma's armor, his hair was blue and glowing, silver stars gleaming in his hair. His normally golden locks now looking as though they were the night sky. The small hermits eyes were all blue as well, a faint glow surrounding Grian's fists, magic radiating off of his hands.

“Grian...?” Mumbo questioned, taking a small step forward. The small hermit whipped around, his glowing eyes and hair returning to their normal state, as the color from Grian’s face seemed to drain away. Grian took a few steps backwards in shock, as Mumbo put the pieces together in his head, the mustached man shaking in fear as he made eye contact with Grian, who looked just as afraid as Mumbo was.

“Y-you’re a watcher...” Mumbo said, taking a few steps backwards as Grian tried to come closer, the small watcher attempting to reassure The Redstoner.

“M-Mumbo I swear, it’s not what it looks lik-“

Before Grian could finish, Mumbo ran past Grian, pulling out a few rockets and jumping off the side of his base, strapping on his elytra while falling, Mumbo opening his gray, bug-like wings last second, as he flew out of sight, trying to get as far away from Grian as possible.

“See? He’s not your friend.” Celeste said in a hollow tone of voice, Grian letting out a sigh and turning back to the watchers, the light from the stars creating a hologram of sorts, showing the two watchers before Grian, with no one else able to see them. The watchers were getting much stronger.

“Now Grian. You know what must be done.” Enzo said, bending down and looking past Grian, off in the distance where Mumbo had flown off, the watcher whispering in Grian’s ear.

“You must eliminate MumboJumbo.”


	10. Chapter 10

" _Hello? Anyone down here?_ " A voice called, startling TinFoilChef. Normally it was just him and Stress in the bunker, he wasn't used to other people coming down and greeting him. But at the moment, Stress was busy helping Iskall look for Doc and Cub, leaving TFC seemingly alone, that is, until Tin heard someone climbing down the ladder to his bunker, calling out for him.

"Doc?" Tin questioned as the creeper revealed himself, leaving TFC rather confused. "Iskall and Stress are our looking for you. They said you and Cub were missing."

"Did they?" Doc asked, seemingly oblivious to being missing for who knows how long. "Oh well. Anyway, I need you to come with me Tin. It's important."

"Well alright, but we should probably find Iskall and Stres-"

"Yeah yeah, sure. They can come too, but this is urgent. We need to go now." Doc said quickly, grabbing TFC's wrist and pulling him towards the ladder, the two hermits quickly exiting the bunker, as Doc pulled out his communicator, typing a few things on the small device's screen.

"Doc? Who are you-"

"No one." Doc hissed, shoving his communicator away and turning away, growling under his breath. TinFoilChef felt on edge around the creeper, but he didn't say anything, silently following Doc, as the creeper took TFC into Sahara and through the nether portal, before the creeper put on his elytra, flying up towards the path which led to new hermitville, TFC reluctantly following close behind.

“Where exactly are we going?" TFC asked, watching as Doc placed down a spruce boat, the creeper entering the boat and gesturing for Tin to join him. TFC entered the boat, and Doc quickly began to row down the ice, wasting no time as he took TFC to the hermitville portal. Tin didn't trust Doc in the slightest bit, the creeper incredibly shifty, seemingly nervous as the two entered the portal, coming out in hermitville.

Stress and Iskall were walking through the streets, both in search of Cub and Doc. TFC waved at the two, Doc growling underneath his breath, but putting on a wide, eerie smile as the two hermits made their way down from the portal tower and over to Stress and Iskall.

"Doc! You're alright!" Stress said with a smile and a sigh of relief, Doc growling under his breath, before simply smiling in response to Stress. Iskall was clearly aware that something was wrong with Doc, but he didn't say anything, Stress simply oblivious to the creeper's strange behavior.

"Yep! Of course I'm alright!" Doc said with a laugh, which sounded forced and tired. TFC and Iskall shared a worried glance, as Doc led Stress away, talking with her as he took her into the spruce forest, Iskall and Tin following close behind, the two clearly aware of Doc's behavior.

"Come on you three." Doc said with a smile, continuing to lead the way through the frigid spruce forest. "I've got something to show you. It's important." Doc said, slightly looking back at Iskall and TFC, the two falling behind, their steps slow and careful. Doc growled under his breath once more, seemingly talking to someone, as he used his one good arm to nervously stroke his robotic arm. TFC noticed this, the elder hermit aware that this wasn't Doc.

"We're almost there." Doc growled, turning away from TFC and Iskall and walking along side Stress, TFC and Iskall forced to follow, and before long the spruce forest faded away, revealing a large, grassy field, where a large military base seemed to be hidden away from the hermits. Doc lead the way into the base, letting the hermits admire the intricate details of the planes and hanger bays, the area must have taken days, maybe weeks to build.

"What is this place Doc?" Stress asked, full of wonder and amazement as she studied the incredibly designed military base, Doc slightly chuckling as he walked on the plane's runway, leading the hermits to a hanger bay. "This is Area 77." He said with a smile, as Doc stopped in front of the closed hanger bay.

"And this, is something I've been working on."

Doc opened the large hanger bay doors, Xisuma standing in the middle of the room, his hands held behind his back, Grian standing behind the admin, looking guilty and afraid. TFC and Iskall both looked to one another, before Xisuma snapped his fingers, forcing the two to march forward.

Doc led the hermits down the hall, Xisuma following at the back of the group, his glare practically burning the back of Iskall's head. The walls were lined with containment cells, Cub's bloody cell still unkept and stained with blood, Xisuma and Doc clearly not caring for Cub. The creeper stopped and placed his hand on a scanner, two cells across from Cub's prison opening up, Doc shoving Iskall and Stress into one cell, before the creeper grabbed TFC's hand and took him into the other cell.

Xisuma smiled at Doc, watching as the creeper rolled up his sleeve, revealing Ancel, the snake curled around his arm. Ancel swiftly moved down Doc's robotic arm, the creeper carefully handing Ancel to Xisuma, before the admin turned away, closing the glass barrier back up, as he placed Ancel gently around his neck.

Doc suddenly collapsed to the ground, quickly falling unconscious, Ancel no longer controlling the creeper's mind. Meanwhile, Iskall was banging on the glass barrier, the swede trying to break open the glass, although it was seemingly useless.

"What do you want from us?!" Iskall screamed, the Swede furious about being forced into the cramped little prison. Xisuma only laughed, Grian still hiding behind the glowing admin, mumbling a small 'Sorry' to Iskall. Xisuma took Ancel in his hands, holding the snake close to the glass, letting her speak with Iskall.

"I don't want anything from you. You hermitssss are ssssso infuriating. I cannot allow you three to ruin what I have sssspent sssso long preparing. Do you know how long it takes to put Xisuma fully under my control? It issss rather difficult, but I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” She sneered at the Swede, Iskall just cussing underneath his breath. Ancel moved in Xisuma’s hand, wrapping around his wrist and cutting off the blood flow to the admin’s hands, Xisuma barely even moving.

“You see, I can’t let you stop this. I’ve spent time and time again, working for the watchers, and now the moment has arrived, where my work will finally pay off.

It is time to bring the watchers to hermitcraft.”


	11. Chapter 11

"Come along Grian." Xisuma said, grabbing the small watcher's wrist, must to the dismay and shock to him. "We must hurry and prepare for the full moon tomorrow. Then we will summon the watchers into the world."

Grian was lightly shaking, as the small watcher looked to the trapped hermits, all bewildered and perplexed. The small watcher let out a sigh, pulling out a golden circlet from out of his pocket, a purple gem radiating with power, the circlet matching the watcher's very own. Grian put on the glowing circlet, before meeting Iskall's betrayed stare.

"I-" Grian started, Iskall holding up their hand up and stoping Grian before he could say anything.  
"Don't say it." The Swede spat, moving to the far corner and crossing their arms, barely caring for Grian. The small watcher tried to move closer to the glass barrier, but Xisuma simply grabbed him by his shoulders, pulling Grian away and narrowing his eyes at Iskall.

"We're going now, Grian." Xisuma said, moving out of the hanger without letting Grian speak, Ancel practically chocking Xisuma to prevent the admin from resisting her control. Grian pulled his cloak around him, hanging in head in shame as he slowly followed the admin, Grian's pointed ears nervously twitching a bit.

"Come on Ancel.." Grian said quietly, trying to reason with the snake. "D-Do I really have to-"

"Not at the moment." Ancel said with a hiss, practically reading Grian's mind. "Mumbo is not top priority. The watchersssss are. And with a combination of your magic and Xisuma'ssss magic, we can open the rift and bring the watcherssss out of the empty void that they are trapped in."

"But why can't the watchers get out on their own?" Grian asked, the small watcher trying to catch up with Xisuma, who was swiftly moving without caring for Grian, who was tripping on his long cloak as he tried to run after the admin. Ancel didn't pay attention to the small watcher's struggle, continuing to explain more about the watchers.

"The watcherssss are trapped in an in-between realm." Ancel explained, the snake curling around Xisuma's neck and looking back at Grian, who adjusted his circlet nervously, not used to the strength which the golden jewelry offered him. "They can interact with other worlds, but they cannot essssscape their palace. They attempted to try to essssscape into Evo, but asss you know...."

"It all descended into chaos..." Grian said, a cold shiver running down his spine as he remembered the bloodshed which he had witnessed. Ancel nodded, the pearlescent snake flicking her tongue and continuing to speak.

"The watcherssss took it upon themselvesss to rescue you, Grian. They opened a portal and took you in. Thisss issss the least you could do to repay them." She said with a hiss, before turning away, whispering something into Xisuma's ear, the admin suddenly jerking to a stop and turning to Grian, a smile on his face.

"We can't waste time going through the nether, oh great watcher." Xisuma said, offering his hand to Grian, who felt sick as the admin mentioned his watcher status. The small hermit shakily took Xisuma's hand, a soft purple glow escaping the admin and watcher's hands. It resembled a galaxy, as if the stars had fallen from the sky, and Xisuma and Grian held them in the palm of their hands.

The violet galaxy began to spread, almost like a dust storm, the glowing stars swirling around the two, Grian flinching as the stars seemed to explode in a blinding light, revealing the shopping district from behind the galaxies that seemed to swarm around Grian. The galactic purple dust seemed to subside, allow the small watcher to relax, always feeling incredibly sick when he teleports.

"I will be getting to work, Grian." Xisuma said, his eyes soulless as he straightened his posture, holding his hands behind his back and smiling at the small watcher. "I suggest you save your energy until tomorrow. And if you find any more trouble-makers who are no longer under my control, I suggest you bring them to me. I would hate for anything to ruin tomorrow."

Grian silently nodded, nervously tugging on his cloak as Xisuma turned away, whispering to Ancel, the two plotting as the admin began to patrol the streets once more. When he was out of sight, Grian relaxed his shoulders, letting out a quick breath to try and calm himself. Grian swiftly moved through the empty streets of the shopping district, scanning the area in search of a familiar face.

"Mumbo?" Grian hissed in a low voice, glancing around the mustached hermit's slime shop, which was completely empty, practically abandoned, cobwebs and dust collecting on the chests. One of the chests only had a thin layer of dust on it, a few fingerprints in the dust, showing that someone had opened the chest recently. Grian frowned, hoping that Mumbo was nearby.

"Mumbo? Please, I need to talk.." the small watcher called, continuing his search for the redstoner, unaware that Mumbo had been in his slime shop around two minutes before Grian showed up, before running and hiding behind the shop at the sound of the small hermit's voice.

Mumbo held his knees to his chest, his back against the wall of his slime shop, as he held his breath, the mustached hermit only releasing it when he heard Grian's footsteps fade away. The Redstoner ran his hand through the dirty mess that was his hair, struggling to comprehend what was going on.

Grian was a watcher, Iskall and Stress weren't at their bases, and the two weren't responding to the messages that Mumbo had sent them, Mumbo couldn't even begin to understand what was going on with Xisuma, The Redstoner barely able to think straight. Mumbo buried his face in his knees, feeling utterly sick and tired.

"Mumbo?" A voice called, the Redstoner falling back in shock, Grian standing in front of him, looking down at the horrified hermit. Mumbo tried to move, but he was petrified, shaking as Grian got down on his knees, a distance away from The Redstoner, hoping not to scare him.

"Mumbo, please, you don't have to listen to me, you don't have to help me, but you need to run." Grian quickly explained, looking around incase Xisuma and Ancel were nearby. "You need to get as many hermits as you can find, and get as far away as you can. Some of the hermits have already been caught, a-and if you don't run, then the watchers will capture them all..."

"W-what will happen if we get captured..?" Mumbo asked quietly, trying not to stutter and show his fear to the small watcher, who began to fiddle with his hands, his eyes glued to the ground.

"I-I don't know, but if I were to guess, I'd say that they'll make sure the hermits won’t resist their control. Which is why you need to get all of the hermits you can find and get out of here!” Grian said, before footsteps began to approach at a rapid speed, Grian’s pointy ears twitching as he looked around, before looking back at Mumbo, grabbing The Redstoner’s shoulders and shaking him out of his horrified state.

“Go! Now!”

Mumbo jumped to his feet, fumbling through his inventory and grabbing a rocket, before blasting off into the sky, barely looking back at the small watcher. A hand was placed on Grian’s shoulder, Xisuma’s chuckle sinister and evil, as his voice was in sync with Ancel, the two both sound sarcastic and cruel.

“Now now Grian, the watchers won’t like what you’ve done.

I think we need to punish you for what you’ve done..”


	12. Chapter 12

Xisuma dragged an unconscious body by the collar of their blood-stained shirt, a trail of red liquid following behind the body, as the admin dragged them across the polished quartz floor. Xisuma opened a cell next to Cub's, before throwing the body into the small room, the admin quickly closing the glass barrier before the body could even hit the ground.

"I won't kill you, Grian. I'll let the watchers deal with you once they arrive." Xisuma spat, turning his back on the bloody watcher, and uncoiling the snake around his neck, holding Ancel in the palms of his gloved hands, his eyes swirling as he whispered to the small snake, Iskall struggling to make out what he was saying.

"-that's too risky...can we really trust them..?

I see....

That one? You sure they'll be able to handle it..?

Alright Ancel. I understand." The admin said in a quiet voice, The hermits only able to catch snippets of what he was saying to the magical snake. Xisuma let the pearlescent snake curl around his wrist, gently stroking Angel's head as the admin approached Iskall and Stress, the two staring at Xisuma in fear. The admin chuckled underneath his breath, narrowing his eyes at Iskall with an evil grin spreading to the ends of his face.

"I'll be back for you later." Xisuma said with a smile, turning away and leaving the hanger, continuing his discussion with Ancel as he left the other hermits trapped in their cramped prison. When he was out of sight, Iskall let out an annoyed sigh, leaning against the wall and shoving their hands in their face, hiding the Swede's fear.

"Iskall..? Are you okay..?" Stress asked, taking Iskall's hands in her own and pulling them away from the Swede's face.

"I'm just great... we're trapped, our friend is being brainwashed by a snake, the watchers are coming, and now Xisuma is coming back for me?! What else could go wrong?!" Iskall said sarcastically, starting to pace back and forth in the small prison, the Swede's mind racing faster and faster by the second. What could Xisuma want with them? And what were the watchers going to do once they got here?

Stress grabbed Iskall's hand, stopping them from repeatedly pacing back and forth. Stress let out a small breath, unable to find the right words to say to the Swede. She sat down the the quartz flooring, patting the space next to her and encouraging Iskall to take a seat next to her. Iskall crossed their legs, the two barely able to sit in the small room together. 

Their arms were pressed against one another, Iskall wanting to pull away, but couldn't due to the cramped prison that they were stuck in. The Swede fiddled with their thumbs, all the worst ideas popping into their head, their mind seeming to come up with the most horrific circumstances that Xisuma will put them through.

"Iskall." Stress said in a low voice, placing her hand in Iskall's hands, the Swede looking up from their hands and looking Stress in the eyes, her companionate smile reassuring Iskall.

"We'll get out of here, I promise." She said in a calming voice, Iskall putting on a small smile to thank Stress. The Swede pulled their knees to their chest, feeling sicker every second. Stress's kind words seemingly helped Iskall, but they still couldn't shake the horror that rested in the back of their mind.

Everything just felt sickening.   
Iskall couldn't find an ounce of hope In their body.

They felt weak.

They felt like they couldn't do anything to stop the watchers.

~~~~~~

The sun began to set over the trees, the full moon glowing as it rose into the sky, an eerie darkness falling over Area 77. The sky was filled with hundreds of thousands of miniature stars, all sparkling in the glowing sky. The night sky strengthened Xisuma, his blue armor seeming to glow even brighter than normal, the galaxy that seemed to be trapped in his clothes swirling in the moonlight.

The admin took off his helmet with a sigh, plopping down onto the grass below him, as he looked upon the portal, made entirely of diamond blocks. It hadn't been lit yet, he needed Grian to help him activate it, but soon, the watchers would have a way out of their dimension.

"Xisuma. What are you doing?" A voice called, startling the admin and causing him to jump to his feet, whipping around and quickly taking a knee. Two stars glistened in the sky, creating a projection of the watchers, the two looking down at the admin in shame.

"You're supposed to be preparing for our arrival, are you not?" Enzo questioned, narrowing his eyes at the admin, who kept his head lowered, too ashamed to look up.

"W-well yes but-"

"There are no excuses. We've already lost enough time with those hermits. Midnight is fast approaching, and if you are not able to summon us tonight, we will not be able to escape our realm until the planets have aligned once more." Celeste said with a frown, her voice harsh and cruel, the admin's heart in his throat as he looked up at the two otherworldly beings, practically shaking as he tried to speak.

"I-I-I swear, my watchers, nothing will interfere! I’ll make sure of it!” Xisuma pleaded, the watchers turning their backs to the admin in shame.

“If you fail, Xisumavoid, we will not hesitate to end your miserable life.” Enzo said with a growl, before the two watchers disappeared with the wind, their bodies seeming to fade into stardust, the otherworldly beings gone in an instant. 

Xisuma looked to the sky, two stars greater than all the other stars, practically blinding to look at. The admin grabbed his helmet, holding it under his arm as he stroked Angel’s head, never once looking away from the two stars.

“I swear, I will not fail you, my watchers.”


	13. Chapter 13

Scar held Jellie in his arms, stroking the feline's head, as she softly purred in the terraformer's arms. He smiled at the cat, which was fast asleep in Scar's arms. Jellie was the only thing that seemed to comfort Scar after the disappearance of Cub, she was the one thing that kept Scar's mind off his fellow Vex.

Scar sat atop a couple shulker boxes, which sat by his large build in hermitville. He still hadn't cleaned up his shulker monster, continuing to procrastinate by starting new builds instead of cleaning up his shulkers and chests. Scar wanted to keep himself busy to keep his mind off everything that was going on, with Xisuma and Cub, and all of the other hermits being rather quiet. It was awfully concerning to Scar. 

"I don't get it, Jellie." Scar said, holding his cat up and looking into her emerald eyes, which seemed to sparkle with the glowing moon. "Where is everyone?" Scar asked with a frown, Jellie letting out a small 'meow' in return. Scar set the small feline back onto his lap, continuing to stroke Jellie's soft fur.

The sound of fireworks were in the distance, causing Scar to look to the sky, hoping to see Cub, only spotting Mumbo, who dove straight toward the ground, managing a klutzy landing, the spoon managing to safely land, before tumbling onto the ground, face first.

"Mumbo? Are you alright?" Scar asked, offering his hand to the redstoner. Mumbo quickly took his hand, steadying himself before trying to catch his breath, Mumbo barely looking like himself, looking more like a tired mess. Mumbo ran his hand through his hair, muttering to himself.

"This isn't good, this isn't good!....S-Scar, we need to go! Now!" Mumbo said, quickly grabbing Scar's wrist and pulling him towards hermitville's portal tower, Jellie following by Scar's ankle, soft meowing escaping the cats lips, as she pleaded for Scar to continue pampering her.

"Mumbo? Where are we going?" Scar asked as the redstoner began to pick up the pace, now running with Scar, Jellie having given up on following the two, now sitting in the middle of the street, her tail moving back and forth. Mumbo didn't care for the cat, his mind was stressed and filled with all sorts of anxious thoughts.

"We're going somewhere safe. Long story short, the watchers are coming, and we need to hide." Mumbo quickly explained, entering the nether portal, Scar close behind, following Mumbo into an oak boat and rowing across the ice path, the hot nether air brushing against the two's faces. "I've managed to find a few hermits...Tango, Ren, Cleo, and a few others, but we need to hurry, we don't have much time..."

"B-b-but what about Jellie..?" Scar questioner sadly, although he already knew the answer. After seeing what the watchers had done to Xisuma, it was much too dangerous to go back for the small cat.

“I’m sorry Scar, but the watchers-“  
“I-it’s okay....I’m just hoping she’ll be okay...” Scar said softly, hugging his knees against his chest, Mumbo struggling with the guilt that weighed down on his shoulders. He felt completely awful, taking the hermits away into hiding, the fear in their eyes as he told them the story, some hermits no where in sight.

Mumbo knew he couldn’t save everyone.

And he hated it.

~~~~~~

"Xisuma-"

"Silence!" The admin hissed, holding his hands behind his back as he looked upon the portal, an evil grin spread across Xisuma's face. Grian was bloody and beat up, his cloak now gone, underneath his worn out red sweater, ripped and torn, stained in the small watcher's blood. Grian sat by Xisuma's feet, an old lead tied around his body, preventing him from escaping.

"If you would just listen to me!" Grian pleaded, Ancel slithering down Xisuma's shoulder, cooking around the admin's arm and smiling at Grian, the pearlescent serpent flicking her tongue at the builder.

"Xisuma can no longer hear you. He'ssssss too focused at the tassssk at hand." She said with a hiss, smiling as she looked back to her host, flicking her tongue at Xisuma, the admin listening to the snake with great diligence.

"Untie him. It's almost midnight, if we're going to do thissss, letssss do it, now." She commanded, Xisuma nodding his head robotically, lifting the snake towards his neck and letting Ancel take her place coiled around X's neck.

The admin let out a sigh of relief as Ancel finished wrapping herself around his neck, relaxing his shoulders a bit. He smiled at Grian, the admin's helmet off his head and resting by his foot. Xisuma's had 'freckles' across his nose and cheeks, although they were blue and glowing, similar to his shimmering eyes. 

"Come along Grian." Xisuma said, grabbing the small watcher's neck and forcing him to stand, the admin's unblinking stare horrifying Grian. The admin pulled out an iron dagger, which was stained In blood, the admin humming to himself happily as he cut the ropes that bound Grian.

When Xisuma freed the small watcher, he couldn't stand on his own, Grian shaking weakly, too tired from blood loss to use any form of magic. Xisuma only smiled at the bloody hermit, pulling him toward the diamond portal, which remained unlit. 

"Let's make this quick. I don't want to keep the watchers waiting." Xisuma said, a blue glow coming from the palms of his hands. Grian struggled to create any form of magic, his legs shaking as a small glow escaped the palm of his hand. 

Xisuma and Grian pointed their hands towards the portal, as the moon took its place, the midnight glow of the moon strengthening the two's magic. Both Grian and Xisuma's bodies began to glow, a powerful aura reinforcing the magic user's strength. The moon started to glow, an eerie dark purple that matched the night sky. 

The two hypnotic stars that rested in the sky were shimmering brighter than ever before, lighting up the entire night sky. Sparks flew around the diamond blocks, kicking up stardust around the glistening diamond blocks, before an explosion sent the two magic user's flying backwards, the blinding light soon fading away. Every star in the night sky seeming to disappear, besides four, radiating celestial stars.

Two bodies faded into existence, stepping through the portal, and smiling at the Xisuma, the admin stumbling to his feet after being blasted back. He took a knee, bowing before the two other worldly creatures. Xisuma's grin was ecstatic, as he looked at the two watchers with glee, the admin thrilled at their arrival.

"Hello, my watchers.

Welcome to hermitcraft."


	14. Chapter 14

"I'm surprised, Xisuma." Celeste said with a small smile, the admin kneeling before her. "We thought you wouldn't be able to pull it off in time. You really were the right choice for the admin."

"T-thank you." Xisuma stuttered nervously, his legs shaking as Enzo offered his hand, helping the admin stand. The otherworldly creatures turned their attention to Grian, the bloody watcher shaking on the ground, completely drained. Enzo and Celeste smiled at Grian, towering over the small hermit.

"Xisuma told us what you did, Grian." Enzo said with a small chuckle, circling around Grian, who was terrified for his life, the two watchers laughing at his horrified expression. Celeste snapped her fingers, Xisuma cracking his knuckles with a smile, his eyes glowing a dark color, as the admin pulled out a small dagger, pointing it at Grian's neck.

"Stand up." Xisuma said with a hiss, his voice horrifyingly ecstatic. Grian shakily nodded, obeying the admin and managing to get to his feet. Xisuma grabber Grian's wrist, pulling him back towards the hanger, the watcher's following close behind the two. 

Xisuma forcibly dragged Grian into the hanger bay, opening the nearest holding cell and throwing the ex-watcher into the cell, shutting the glass blockade with a smile, the watchers nodding in approval, causing Xisuma's smile to spread to the ends of his face. Ancel curled tighter around the admin's neck, hissing into his ear, Xisuma's face lighting up and he nodded, quickly running down the hall and stopping at Stress and Iskall's cell, waiting patiently as the watcher's caught up, slowly following along.

"So this is the one you've selected?" Enzo asked judgmentally, studying Iskall with narrowed eyes, the Swede pressing their back against the wall, trying to keep their distance from the glass barrier that separated them and the watchers. Xisuma nodded eagerly, seemingly entranced when he was in the presence of the watcher's, constantly full of energy and excited.

Xisuma placed his hand onto the scanner, the glass barrier opening up, Celeste stepping into the restrictive room, a small smile curling on her lips as she noticed Iskall's fearful expression. The watcher raised her hand, slowly waving her hand in front of Iskall's eyes, the Swede's eye lids suddenly going heavy. Iskall fell to their knees, Stress rushing to the Swede's side, trying to get Iskall to stand.

"Iskall? Iskall! Wake up!" Stress cried as the Swede completely passed out, stuck in a deep slumber, Iskall leaning against Stress's arm and letting out a few soft snores, muttering underneath their breath as well. Celeste smiled at Iskall, turning away and existing the small cell, Xisuma closing the glass barrier behind the watcher.

"Let them out when they wake up. They'll be ready then." Celeste said, Xisuma slightly bowing in response to the watcher. Enzo stood tall as he looked upon the hermits who were trapped, the watcher peering into the small room that held Doc and TFC, tapping the glass as if they were wild animals.

"Yes, these hermits are quite unique." Enzo said, holding his hands behind his back as he turned to Xisuma and Celeste. "It will be nice to build an empire here."

"I Concur. And once the hermits are influenced by our power, they won't be able to stop us." Celeste said with a smile, the two watchers turning to leave, before Celeste stopped at Grian's cell, the small hermit cowering in the corner, tears streaming down his rosy pink cheeks. Celeste bent down, placing her hand on the glass with a smile, narrowing her eyes at Grian.

"Don't think we forgot about your punishment, Grian. We have something in store for you. After everything we've done for you, I was hoping you would return the favor by obeying us. 

Look's like we'll have to eliminate MumboJumbo ourselves."

~~~~~~

"Right this way, my watchers!" Xisuma said as he walked ahead of the two, showings off Hermitville in all its glory, the three walking through Sahara street and the build-off, the Watchers studying the buildings with disgust, the two exchanging glances at one another. The two stopped by the foot of Scar's plant monster, studying the scattered shulker boxes around it.

"It's a cluttered mess.." Enzo growled aloud, as if he was repulsed by the sight of the unorganized area. Xisuma seemed hurt, ashamed that the watchers had to witness this, but he didn't say anything, continuing to let the watchers examine the area.

A soft purr came from behind Xisuma, the admin quickly jumping out of his thoughts, studying Jellie, who sat at X's feet, rubbing her head against the admin's glowing armor. Celeste seemed to take note of the purring, as she turned and studied the small cat, slightly tilting her head in confusion.

"Xisuma, what is that cat doing here?" She asked, her eyes glued to Jellie, as the small cat slowly approached the watcher, her pink nose twitching as she inspected the tall watcher, Jellie's fur standing on end as she let out an angry growl, hissing at the otherworldly being.

“Oh, that’s Jellie. GoodtimeswithScar’s pet cat. He must of left in a hurry if he left her behind.” Xisuma said, examining the empty village, no sign of any hermits, Mumbo must have told them about the watchers, causing them to flee.

Celeste rolled her eyes in annoyance, bending down and looking Jellie right in her emerald eyes, the watcher gently pressing her finger against Jellie's nose. A soft, purple glow surrounded Jellie’s body, her soft green eyes slowly changing, now a royal, deep purple. Celeste extended her arms towards the cat, which happily jumped into the Watcher’s hands, softly purring as Celeste stroked the small cat.

“So this is one of the hermits pets?” Celeste questioned, smiling when Xisuma nodded his head. The watcher placed Jellie back onto the ground, smiling at the brainwashed cat, her eyes eerily glowing, similar to Xisuma’s. Celeste bent down once more, stroking behind Jellie’s ear and watching as she happily meowed in response.

“Jellie. Go off and find your owner, bring him here.” Celeste said with a smile, Jellie’s ears instantly perking up, as the cat turned away, bolting down the street with no hesitation. Celeste looked to Enzo, who was studying the large buildings with a frown planted upon his face. 

“Xisuma?”

“Yes, Enzo?”

“Burn it to the ground.”

“P-pardon?”

“Burn this village to the ground.

We’re going to rebuild it all.

Much better than you simple hermits could ever could.”


	15. Chapter 15

Mumbo stepped on a button, the ground below him and Scar opening up, revealing a hidden base underneath Sahara. Scar was impressed by the hidden area, Mumbo too worried to even care about his redstone. The Redstoner grabbed Scar's wrist and pulled him into the underground bunker, taking him towards the bubble elevator.

"Here. Take this. It's a keycard. If anyone tries to enter the bubblevator without it, they'll set off a trap." Mumbo said, handing Scar a keycard. Mumbo threw his card to the ground, which got picked up by a hidden piston, before a note block went off, Mumbo entering the bubblevator. Scar followed, throwing his key card down and entered the water, bubbles moving around the terraformer, dragging him under. 

Scar left the bubblevator, surprised by the size of the underground area. The other hermits who were underground were helping expand, since they couldn't use beacons, as it was too risky with the large beam of light that it emits. There weren't many hermits, which worried Scar. There was Tango, Ren, Cleo, False, and Impulse, meaning that most of the hermits were still out there.

Mumbo took a few steps, wobbling a bit on his feet. He clearly hadn’t slept, he probably spent so long trying to build a safe place for the hermits. Scar grabbed Mumbo before he could collapse from exhaustion, the Redstoner struggling to keep his eyelids open for much longer. 

“Mumbo, you need some sleep....” Scar said softly, waking Mumbo over to a few shulker boxes, the mustached man pulling away from Scar, fixing his tie with a small yawn, fighting the feeling of drowsiness.

“No I don’t Scar. I need to get the rest of the hermits. If the watchers can control Xisuma, they can control the rest of us. We need to get the hermits and find a way to get rid of them..” Mumbo said while moving towards the bubble elevator. Tango stopped Mumbo this time, grabbing his wrist before he could leave, Mumbo attempting to escape the tight grip that Tango had on his wrist.

“Mumbo. Scar and I will go if you get some sleep. We’ll be safer together.” Tango said with confidence, Scar nodding in agreement, while Mumbo let out an annoyed sigh, clearly worried for the other hermits, but he didn’t fight, he just turned away, leaving Tango and Scar to go and look for the others. 

“So who are we looking for first?” Scar asked as the two left the bunker, Tango taking the lead and moving towards the Sahara portal and entering the nether, Scar close behind him. Tango let out a worried sigh, moving through the nether hub quickly, something clearly bothering him.

“I’m not sure.” Tango said quietly, glancing around the nether and at all the portals, silently hoping that they were all okay, and that the hermits hadn’t had any encounters with the watchers. “This is much more stressful than I could even imagine. Our friends lives are in danger. I just hope we can work through this.” 

“Yeah...me too..” Scar said, unable to know what to do in this set of circumstances. Mumbo had taken charge when no one else had, and he had done so much for the hermits. But that was at a price. He was at the most risk for being found by the watchers, he goes out rather often to try and find hermits. 

Scar stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes going wide with shock as he studied the small cat that sat by his nether portal, Jellie licking her paw while waiting for Scar’s return. The terraformer smile was wide, as he ignored Tango’s warnings, Scar couldn’t seem to hear him, too focused on Jellie.

“You came back girl!” Scar said with a smile, lifting his cat into the air with a smile, as he looked his cat dead in the eyes, easily noticing Jellie’s newfound purple eyes. She jumped out of Scar’s arms, rubbing her head against Scar’s leg with a slight purr, her tail moving side to side. The terraformer took a knee, gently scratching behind Jellie’s ear with a frown planted on his face, as he studied his cat, his eyes locked with hers.

“Girl....what happened to you...?” Scar asked quietly, Jellie letting out a satisfied ‘meow’ in return to his question. She rolled onto her back, softly purring on the warm glass of the nether hub, acting as if nothing was wrong with her. Tango walked over, placing a hand on Scar’s shoulder, snapping him out of a daydreaming-like state.

“Scar? Are you alright? You’ve been sitting here mumbling to yourself for five minutes..” Tango asked confused, Scar shaking his head and standing up, feeling as though he hadn’t slept in days, the terraformer now exhausted.

“Y-yeah...at least I think I’m oka-“ Scar stopped talking when he noticed Tango was no longer paying attention, his eyes glued to Jellie, who was sitting, staring right back at him. Tango’s pupils went wide, as his eyes followed Jellie’s tail, which slowly moved side to side, practically hypnotizing him. Tango bent down, picking the cat up in his arms and turning away.

“Tango? Tango! Where are you going?!” Scar called out, watching as Tango, still holding Jellie, opened his elytra and flew to the upper part of the nether hub, heading towards New Hermitville without another word, barely even caring for Scar as he left the terraformer behind, taking Jellie along with him.

“Tango wait! Come back!” Scar called, pulling out a few rockets, flying after Tango with great speed. The terraformer was never the greatest at flying, but he spammed his rockets, going as fast as he could. Scar managed to catch up with Tango, reaching out his arm in an attempt to grab his ankle and stop him. Tango took notice, growling as he looked back at Scar, who fell back in shock at the sight of Tango.

Scar crashed down onto the ground, rolling as he hit the ground, the terraformer having tears in his eyes after looking at Tango. His eyes were empty. Like nothing in Tango remained, just an empty vessel. There was nothing left to him, and it horrified Scar. The terraformer tried to get up, his vision going blurry after he had slammed into the ground. Someone was walking towards him, and within seconds, they stood over Scar, the terraformer struggling to look up at Tango, who just smiled down at Scar, his smile giving Scar goosebumps.

“All hail the watchers.”


	16. Chapter 16

Tango threw Scar onto the ground, the watchers and Xisuma standing over the terraformer, while the trapped hermits watched in horror. Celeste smiled at her newfound servant, Tango taking a knee before the two. Celeste tapped Tango on his head, who looked up at the watcher, his empty eyes slowly returning with color, but not Tango's red eyes, his eyes were the dark purple that matched Jellie's eyes.

"Oh what a good girl. She brought us her owner along with a new little helper.." Celeste said with a smile, lifting Jellie off the ground and stroking the soft cat's head, narrowing her eyes with a smile at Scar, who was completely frozen in fear. Enzo rolled his eyes, holding his hands behind his back as he studied Tango and Scar, before looking back at Grian, who was bloody, silently crying in his corner.

"Iskall. Awaken." Enzo said, clapping his hands together, the Swede opening their eyes and standing up, their purple eyes radiating energy and power. Iskall slightly smiled at Stress, who was horrified by Iskall's transformation, the Swede radiating power which Stress has never felt before. Enzo laughed as Xisuma opened the glass barrier, Iskall walking out of the cell with a smile on his face, joining Tango, Xisuma and Ancel, the three watcher slaves all laughing at the trapped hermits.

"What did you do to Iskall?!" Stress said, rage engulfing her voice, a she slammed her fists against the glass, Iskall simply walking up to the glass, tilting their head and studying Stress, who felt unsafe staring into the Swede's purple eyes. Celeste walked over to the two, placing a hand onto Iskall's shoulder, her grin spreading to the ends of her face, as her ears slightly twitched, her eyes studying the trapped hermits.

"Iskall here is going to be the one to bring us MumboJumbo." Celeste said, Grian's ears perking up at the mention of the Redstoner's name. Grian weakly stood up, banging his fists against the glass, tears running down his bloody face.

"No! Please! Don't hurt them!"

"Silence." Enzo hissed, snapping his fingers, Tango and Xisuma opening the cell and grabbing the small watcher's arms, forcing him out of the cell and onto the ground, Grian falling onto his knees before Enzo and Celeste, the two watchers looking to one another, than back at Grian. Celeste has a sweet smile on her face, as she took a knee, using two fingers to force Grian to look up at the watchers, his bloody red face a complete mess of blood, sweat, and tears.

"These hermits changed you, Grian. You could have listened to us, but now we're going to teach you a lesson so that you'll never do it again." Celeste said quietly, before standing up, turning to her fellow watcher, who nodded at her, the two turning to Iskall, who knelt before the watchers without another word, listening closely for their orders.

"Iskall85. Bring us the one known as MumboJumbo. He must be alive. I want to make Grian watch as we tear him apart, limb by limb." Enzo said, snapping his fingers without another word. Iskall looked up with an evil grin planted across their face, bolting out of area 77 in search of Mumbo. Celeste looked to Grian, disappointed, but she didn't say anything, only looking at Tango and Xisuma.

"Tango. Take Grian to the special prison we made him. And Xisuma, come with me. We have much to discuss." Celeste said, turning away and letting Xisuma stumble to try and catch up with the watcher, who moved quickly, not wanting to waste anytime.

"How may I assist you, Celeste..?" Xisuma asked quietly, as he pet Ancel's head, the snake loosening her grip on X's neck, a relief to the admin. Celeste snapped her fingers, her galaxy hair seeming to flow, encapsulated the two, before a galaxy surrounded Xisuma, truly a sight to behold.

"Xisuma. Do you know why I've brought you to the in-between?" Celeste asked quietly, frowning a bit when Xisuma shook his head. Celeste reached out, gently stroking Ancel before moving her hand up Xisuma's neck, removing the admin's helmet. She smiled at the admin, turning away and opening the palms of her hand, a glowing orb floating in her hands, the golden star glimmering in her palms.

"Because of you Xisuma, we have enough power to travel between dimensions. Meaning that we can take all of the energy that we stored here and take it back to hermitcraft. And then, my precious admin, our realm shall be complete. Those hermits shall bow before the watchers." The otherworldly creature said, watching closely as the golden star in her hand began to change, turning completely purple, along with all of the other stars in the galaxy around the two.

"Xisuma. You shall be rewarded for your help." Celeste said with a smile, placing two fingers on Xisuma's chin, tilting his head upright, the admin completely mesmerized by the beauty and grace of the watcher before him. Celeste opened the palm of her hands, revealing a golden, glistening circlet, similar to the ones which the watchers wore, with a gleaming purple gem as the centerpiece of the piece of jewelry.

"With this circlet, you will be able to connect yourself." Celeste said, looking to her left, where the empty void of space revealed three stars, all radiating energy and power, Xisuma barely able to look at them. She simply smiled, and with a wave of her hand, two of the stars disappeared, only one remaining. "You will be able to connect your life to this star. You will not be able to die, nor will you be able to be killed, until your star burns out. It shall take around 10 billion years, however. You will be able to live without fear of death."

Before Xisuma could respond, Celeste walked over, gently placing the golden circlet around the admin’s head, a rush of power running through his veins, the admin clenching his fists with a smile. His hands seemed to glow with magic, as energy swirled around the admin, Celeste simply smiling at Xisuma.

“It’s going to be nice to have you along side us. You’re an incredible admin.

But now you’re even deeper under our control.

For the rest of your miserable life.”


	17. Chapter 17

" _MumboJumbo_! _Come out and play_!" A Swedish voice called, Mumbo holding his hands over his mouth, trying not to make a single sound, as he hid quietly by the entrance of the bunker. When Tango and Scar didn't return, Mumbo went to look for them, but when he saw Iskall and the Swede's newfound glowing eyes, which completely horrified Mumbo. And lucky enough for the mustached redstoner, Iskall saw Mumbo the minute he tried to make a break for the bunker.

"Come on Mumbo, we're friends, _riiiight_?" Iskall said with an evil grin spread across their face, as they dragged a diamond axe through the ground, Iskall scanning the area in search of the mustached man. "The watchers only want a word with you.."

Mumbo could hear footsteps approaching him, Iskall drawing closer by the second. There was no way he could have gotten to the bunker, he was cornered, hiding between the display case of Sahara diamonds and Sahara itself. He didn't know which direction Iskall was coming from, forced to press his back against the diamond display case and hold his breath, pleading that Iskall wasn't going to fight him.

" _Found you_." Iskall said with a whisper, as a diamond axe slammed into the ground, barely skimming Mumbo's leg, the Swede holding onto the handle of the weapon with an insane smile on his face, as the mustached hermit fell back in surprise. Iskall smiled as they held their weapon to Mumbo's neck, the Swede towering over the Redstoner, who was shaking in fear on the ground, Iskall laughing at Mumbo's fear.

"I would kill you, MumboJumbo, but the watchers want to do it themselves." Iskall said, lowering their axe, but never putting it away. They offered their hand to Mumbo, the mustached man standing on his own, narrowing his eyes at Iskall. The Swede had their diamond weapon to the back of Mumbo's neck, able to kill him within seconds.

"Now come along, MumboJumbo. The watchers will be happy that I succeeded on my mission to capture you." Iskall said, taking Mumbo into Sahara, the two heading into the nether and heading towards hermitville, small beads of sweat dripping down the side of Mumbo's head. When Mumbo didn't move quick enough, Iskall would press the tip of their axe against Mumbo's neck, a bit of blood trickling out.

"Iskall please-" Mumbo started, before the Swede wrapped their arm around Mumbo's neck, pulling him in close and showing off their bloody axe, Iskall's smiling face growing as they noticed Mumbo's shaking pupils, showing off his internal fear.

"If you think you can reason with me, MumboJumbo, you have another thing coming. I do not listen to people like you." Iskall said with a growl, practically choking Mumbo before the Swede let go, shoving the Redstoner with a slight laugh as he stumbled onto the ground, struggling to catch his breath. Iskall raised their axe, slamming their weapon an inch away from Mumbo's nose, the axe lodged into the ground. The mustached man quickly stumbled to his feet, Iskall reaching to grab the axe, Mumbo grabbing the handle before the Swede could.

"I-I don't want to hurt you Iskall, you're being controlled!" Mumbo exclaimed, gripping tight to the axe's handle, Iskall growling underneath their breath, as the Swede held their hand behind their back, slowly reaching for a small iron dagger. Mumbo shut his eyes, holding back tears as he rose the axe. He didn't want to hurt Iskall, but he knew that he had to at least scare Iskall until he could get away.

Iskall smiled at Mumbo's shaking hands, pulling out an iron dagger with a laugh, stabbing Mumbo right in the gut, Mumbo dropping his Axe, shaking as he stumbled a bit, his eyes going heavy, Iskall laughing as Mumbo collapsed into a bloody pile, slightly unconscious. Iskall grabbed Mumbo by the collar of his shirt, beginning to drag him towards the hermitville portal.

"I-....Iskall...." Mumbo said tiredly, his vision going blurry as blood stained his clothes and body, the mustached hermit struggling to keep his eyes open for much longer. Iskall just smiled a bit, dragging Mumbo through the nether, barely caring for him. Mumbo choked a bit, coughing up blood and shaking as Iskall yanked the collar of Mumbo's shirt once more, causing him to choke a bit more.

"Rest now, MumboJumbo. You're going to need it for what the watchers have in store for you."

~~~~~~~

Mumbo woke up, his head feeling groggy and in pain. The Redstoner attempted to rub the side of his aching his head, but his hands were tied behind his back. It took Mumbo a couple moments to realize that he was hanging, chains wrapped around his ankles as he hung from the ceiling of what seemed to be an infinity room. Instead of the normal, bright white room, it was pitch black, with certain areas lit up to prevent mobs from spawning.

"Hello..?" Mumbo called out, his voice hoarse and tired, the Redstoner barely able to choke any words out. His eyes were fuzzy, most likely from hanging upside down, the blood rushing to his head. Mumbo swung around in an attempt to free himself from his chains, but the chains were much more secure than Mumbo expect. They were slightly transparent, glowing blue as well.

A figure appeared from the darkness, Xisuma holding his helmet underneath his arm. His glowing blue eyes narrowed at the sight of Mumbo, the purple crystal connected to his golden circlet radiating powerful energy. The admin smiled, placing the helmet back onto his head, before snapping his fingers, the chains disappearing, Mumbo dropping from the ceiling.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the one who turned Grian against the watchers.” Xisuma spat, half a smile on his face as he gently stroked Ancel’s head, the pearlescent snake flicking her tongue with joy. The admin circled around Mumbo, who held his bloody wound, in too much pain to move. Xisuma let out a small laugh, taking a knee in front of Mumbo, the snake around his neck slithering down X’s arm and into the palm of his hands.

“You’re going to be in here for a bit, Mumbo.” Xisuma said, ever so slightly looking up from Ancel, narrowing his eyes at Mumbo. The Redstoner shook in fear, the admin only chuckling a bit. “I thought you may like some company.”

Xisuma moved his hands towards Mumbo’s shoulder, Ancel moving out of his gloved palms and slithering onto the Redstoner’s shoulder. Mumbo couldn’t seem to move as Ancel curled around his neck, implanting her fangs into Mumbo’s neck. The Redstoner pupils seemed to dilate, his posture straightening as he sat upright. Xisuma’s smiled, snapping his fingers once again, blue chains breaking out of the ground and wrapping around Mumbo’s wrists.

“I won’t be needing Ancel any longer, thanks to the gift from the watchers.” Xisuma said, turning away and moving towards the exit, looking back at Mumbo with a smile. “She’ll be in charge of you until the watchers are ready. You’re the pinnacle of the downfall of the hermits, Mumbo, once you and your friends are defeated, the watchers and I will rebuild, and you will be eliminated.”


	18. Chapter 18

"Ah, Xisuma, you have returned. I'm assuming Ancel is in possession of Mumbo?" Celeste asked, never breaking eye contact with Scar, who hid in the corner of Cub's cell, covered in his fellow Vex's glowing blue blood. She was trying to break Scar so he would give in on his own, she and Enzo were trying to do it to all the trapped hermits, and it was working. Stress was horrified of what Iskall had become, Scar was struggling to hold himself together, Doc and TFC both never saying a word. They were slowly breaking.

"He's locked securely in the underground prison, and Ancel is draining his power as we speak. Mumbo will be as fragile as glass when we see him next. You'll be able to rip his arm out of his socket easily." Xisuma said with a smile, bowing before the watchers. The two otherworldly beings let out a laugh, which sent cold chills down the locked hermit's spines, as all their brainwashed friends joined in their laughter. Enzo snapped his fingers, a glowing purple blade appearing out of thin air, the blade seemingly made from a material much greater than diamonds. Dark energy radiated off the blade, seeming to fill Xisuma's body with strength and incredible power.

"Here you are Xisuma." Enzo said, offering the dark blade to the admin, who took the weapon, dragging his gloved hand across the polished sword, admiring the fine handmenship. "Something for your next assignment. Speaking of which..."

The watcher turned to Doc and Tin's cell, staring in at the two stubborn hermits, the creeper hybrid sticking up a middle finger while scrunching up his nose, clearly bothered and upset. The older hermit rolled his eyes, his knees to his chest as he let out a bothered sigh, TFC's gaze stuck on the floor. Enzo opened the cell, before turning back to the admin, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Xisuma, eliminate these two." Enzo said, X's eyes going wide, as he dropped the blade, which rattled on the ground, the watcher raising an eyebrow at the stunned admin. Xisuma shook his head, stumbling backwards as he nervously took off his helmet, the admin's purple eyes shaking with fear. The admin cleared his throat, nervously twiddling his thumbs as he fumbled with his words, Xisuma clearly not wanting to disappoint the watchers, although he didn't want to kill his friends

"W-with all do respect sir, couldn't you--"

"Use them?" Enzo questioned, rolling his eyes as Xisuma nodded eagerly. He took in a deep breath, the watcher taking a knee as he placed a hand on the admin's shoulder, narrowing his eyes at Xisuma. "I find the creeper rather disrespectful, it is much harder to control people like him. As for the older one, well, he wouldn't be the best to use. He isn't as nimble or skillful as the other hermits."

Enzo just smiled before the dumbfounded admin could respond, standing up and following Celeste towards the exit, Tango, Iskall, and Jellie following close behind, practically groveling at the watcher's feet. The admin watched as Enzo slightly looked back, his narrow and cold eyes sending a chill through Xisuma's body.

"You're the loyalist out of all of these pathetic hermits, Xisumavoid. If you fail us, I will not hesitate to end your life." He said with a slight smile, before the two turned away, exiting the hanger, with Tango and Iskall snickering under their breath as they followed behind. Once they were out of sight, Xisuma ran his gloved hand through his hair, pacing back and forth with his eyes glued to the floor.

"nonononononononono...I-I can't just kill you....We used to be friends.." The admin muttered under his breath, Doc and Tin looking at one another, then back at the distressed admin, who stopped, looking down at the glowing sword which sat by his foot, staring into his reflection. His gleaming eyes seemed to die down, as Xisuma slowly removed the golden circlet that was wrapped around his head, tearfully staring into the purple gem, tightly shutting his eyes and shaking his head.

"NO!" Xisuma screamed, throwing the circlet as far as he possibly could, watching as the golden accessory hit the wall, clattering on the floor. Xisuma bent down, picking the sword up and studying the weapon once more, before pointing the purple blade at Doc's neck, the admin narrowing his cold eyes at the creeper.

"You better get out of here before I change my mind."

~~~~~~

Mumbo nervously pulled at his tie, with Ancel biting his wrist in response, the redstoner yelping in pain and quickly pulling away. The mustached man felt weaker every time Ancel moved around, which she tended to do constantly. Mumbo leaned his head against the wall, fanning himself with his hand, he felt like he was on fire, but if he tried to remove his suit coat, Ancel would bite him once more, which seemed to get more painful every time she did it.

“MumboJumbo, stop squirming!” Ancel commanded as she noticed Mumbo nervously adjusting his seating position, the redstoner jerking to a stop when she spoke. Ancel flicked her tongue, crawling up the back of Mumbo’s neck and tying herself around Mumbo’s head, the snake’s body resting on Mumbo’s ears. At a first glance, she looked like a silver headband, her scales seeming to shine, even in the eternal darkness that Mumbo and her were stuck in.

“Ancel, can I ask you a question?” Mumbo asked softly, his body moving on its own, as his hand moved, beginning to gently stroke her scales, the redstoner never even realizing it, as he shut his eyes, listening closely as he heard his hair rustling, feeling the way the pearlescent snake moved around his head, as she couldn’t seem to hold still. “Why am I being punished..?”

Ancel stopped moving, no sound in the empty void other than Mumbo’s soft breaths. His body once more moved on it’s own, lifting Ancel off his head and cupping the snake in his hands, pulling the snake close to his face. Mumbo wasn’t in control, and yet he didn’t seem to notice, nor did he care. Ancel squigled in the mustached man’s hands, before she had coiled herself, making eye contact with Mumbo, her blue eyes glowing. Mumbo’s pupils dilated, the chocolate brown color in his eyes slowly draining away, being replaced with a glimmering blue.

“You have turned the watcher’s own against them, and for that, you will be punished. Is that clear?” Ancel asked, Mumbo unknowingly nodding his head. The redstoner moved his hands, letting Ancel around his neck once more. The mustached man shakily stood, his legs weak as he leaned on the wall for support. A light seemed to come out of nowhere, Mumbo shielding his eyes, it had been too long since he had seen anything other than the eternal darkness which this room provided.

“Hello Mumbo.” Celeste said calmly, stepping forwards and extending her hand to the redstoner, her smile soft and kind, although her cold and harsh eyes said otherwise. Mumbo nervously took her hand, her expression softening when he didn’t resist Ancel’s control. "It’s time for you to be punished.”


	19. Chapter 19

Xisuma leaned against the wall, his lips pressed in a fine line as he watched Doc and TFC open the cell doors, releasing Grian, Stress, and attempting to release Scar, who wouldn’t move. The admin held tight to the golden circlet in his hands, unable to get rid of it. He was attached to say the least, it took too much strength to break free of their magic. Ancel was always there to keep Xisuma in check, but now that the watchers believed that the admin was willing to do anything for them, they thought that he was perfect. But Xisuma was anything but perfect, and the watcher’s arrogance was the beginning of their downfall.

“Scar, we need to hurry..” Doc said in a hushed voice, extending his hand Scar, who’s eyes were filled with tears. The Vex held Cub in his arms, his body completely covered in glowing blue veins. He was barely breathing, his blood splattered in the small cell, and all over Scar. The terraformer shook his head, hugging his close friend close, with Doc’s frown only deepening. The creeper hybrid let out a bothered sigh, folding his arms and looking to the admin, who was watching the group with narrowed eyes. “We can’t stay here for too long. Who knows if Xisuma is trustworthy…”

“B-but Cub--”

“He’ll be fine.” Xisuma said, interrupting Scar and standing upright, walking towards the anxious hermits, holding tight to the golden circlet in his hands, which made Grian’s heart skip a couple beats. Xisuma removed his glove, revealing similar blue veins on his hand, the glowing blue color much darker than Cub’s. The admin slipped his glove back on, moving towards the exit and peeking his head outside, no sight of the watchers or their followers. He let out a sigh of relief, still debating whose side he was on.

“Ancel’s venom isn’t poisonous, but it is dangerous.” Xisuma said in a quiet voice, closing the sliding door to hide the hermits away. He let out an exhausted sigh, the admin leaning his back against the door, his glowing blue freckles seeming to sparkle without his helmet. The admin kept his eyes glued to the floor, while still looking down at the golden circlet in the palm of his hands. “It’s all mental. Sure, she weakens you, but the venom messes with you. It changes you, in a way I can’t explain. I barely remember who I was before Ancel and the watchers. One tiny bite can do that to you.”

“So w-what will happen to him..?” Scar asked quietly, looking at his fellow Vex’s pale expression. Xisuma simply shrugged, ignoring the hermits as he walked to his helmet that sat on the floor. He lifted the helmet with one hand, holding his golden circlet with the other, studying both of the headwear. The admin slipped his golden circlet on before placing his helmet back on, the purple gem clearly visible from underneath his helmet. Xisuma let out a satisfied breath, the feeling of immeasurable power flowing through his body. The admin felt something tugging at him, telling him to get the watchers, telling him to lock the hermits away again.

“Xisuma--”

“I can handle the power, Grian.” Xisuma said, narrowing his eyes at the former watcher, who bit his lip to prevent himself from saying anything. The admin moved swiftly to the large sliding door, narrowly opening it before looking back at his fellow hermits. Xisuma let out a tired breath, looking out at Area 77 as he spoke, the admin’s voice seemingly emotionless. “Get out of here, get the other hermits, and get to the Sahara courtyard. I’ll get there as soon as possible, but I need to make the watchers still believe I work for them.”

“X, if they notice you acting out of line, then Ancel--”

“She’s in control of Mumbo, and if I’m guessing correctly, the watchers will be bringing him here shortly to kill him right in front of you, Grian. Or at least, that’s what I’ve heard. They won’t hurt him until you see it, meaning you need to leave, now.” Xisuma said while bending down, lifting up the ground, a hidden trapdoor right below the hermit’s feet. The admin nodded at the others, lifting his sword made entirely from black magic, flinching as a cold rush ran through Xisuma’s body. “The watchers are connected to stars, meaning they can’t be killed by any of us, nor can they die from natural causes.”

“So how do we beat them?” Tin asked whilst cracking his knuckles, tha admin narrowing his eyes as the elder hermit did so. Xisuma wanted to listen to the watchers, it hurt him to disobey them, but Xisuma didn’t have much of a choice. It was the watchers or the people he cared about.

“You’re going to go and get the others. I’ll be trying to help Tango and Iskall. And Jellie..” Xisuma added with an eye roll as he noticed Scar’s tearful eyes. “Collect the rest of the hermits. Go to the Sahara Courtyard. I have a plan, but I need you all to trust me. Take this tunnel to hermitville. It was originally made to transport the hermits to this containment area, but it will be the fastest, and safest, way to get to the nether portal. Now you need to get going, before they get back.”

The hermits didn’t fully trust the admin, but they didn’t seem to have a choice. Grian’s pointed ears twitched a bit as he made eye contact with Xisuma, who smiled at the watcher, his eyes filled with complete and utter hatred. The small hermit quickly looked away, climbing down the ladder and joining the other hermits in the cramped tunnel. Scar was holding Cub, or at least, he was trying too. He could barely walk, clearly struggling to hold his friend. Doc rolled his eyes and took Cub from the terraformer, much to Scar’s relief.

“Do you think we can trust him..?” Stress asked quietly, in case the admin could still hear them, even when he had shut the trap door once the last hermits had entered the tunnel. Most of the small group bit their lips, not much to say. Xisuma wasn’t seemingly himself anymore, a part of him taken away by the watchers. It hurt Stress to see him like this, but there wasn’t anything they could do. All they could do was run, and not look back.

~~~~~

“Xisuma.” Ezno said coldly, the admin standing upright, small beads of sweat hidden behind his helmet. The admin whipped around, quickly getting down on one knee and bowing before the two watchers, who were not focused on the admin, but on the empty cells that used to hold the other hermits. Celeste narrowed her eyes at Xisuma, snapping her fingers with a small grin spreading to the ends of her face. Iskall and Tango moved from behind the otherworldly creatures, the two brainwashed hermits grabbing Xisuma’s arms, forcing the admin to hold still.

“Now Xisuma, I’m giving you one chance.” Celeste said with a cold voice, stroking Jellie, who sat content in her arms. “Where. Is. Grian?”

The admin lowered his head, slightly chuckling underneath his breath. His small chuckles began to evolve, and before long, it had grown into roaring laughter, Xisuma pulling away from Tango and Iskall, taking off his helmet with a wide grin on his face, the admin’s eyes cold and heartless as he smiled at the two watchers, taking a knee before the magic users.

“Do you think I would betray you? I let them out. They will do our work for us. Those few hermits will gather up the remaining hermits and bring them to the shop known as ‘Sahara.’ There you can set an example. Show them what happens when they step out of line.” Xisuma said, gesturing to Mumbo, who’s empty blue eyes matched the snake’s which was coiled around his neck. “They need to trust me. Let me take Iskall and Tango. Then we will show them, my watchers. We’ll show them what happens when they disobey your control.”


	20. Chapter 20

Mumbo’s heavy eyelids managed to flutter open, his consciousness slowly becoming his own once again. He couldn’t seem to recall much, most things a complete blur to the mustached redstoner. It felt like he had woken up from a fever dream, but it was most certainly real, Ancel was just in control. Mambo glanced around the dim room, his eyesight slowly returning, within seconds he realized that he was not alone, glowing eyes staring at him. The redstoner could see the watcher’s eyes, as they had entirely black scleras. Tango was easy to spot as well, his eyes were always one simple color, and Mumbo could spot the blue glow of his swedish friend’s robotic eye, not to mention Jellie, who sat in one of the watcher’s arms, and Ancel’s glowing blue eyes, who continually slithered through the darkness.

“Hello MumboJumbo..” Enzo said, a glowing mist escaping from the palm of his hands, small stars appearing in the room and illuminating the area. Much to Mumbo’s dismay, Tango and Iskall stood loyal to the watchers, their empty eyes glowing in the starlight. The redstoner tried to stand, but someone from behind grabbed his shoulders, forcing him back onto the ground. Mumbo looked up nervously at the admin, who stood behind the mustached man, holding him in place, his gloved hands gripping tight to Mumbo’s shoulders.

“Wh-what--? Why am I--?”

“It will all be explained, Mumbo.” Celeste said with a small smile, gently stroking Jellie before setting the cat down onto the ground, who’s tail slowly moved back and forth, tilting her fluffy head as she looked at the redstoner with an unblinking stare. Mumbo couldn’t help but notice how empty and sad the small cat’s eyes looked, along with Tango and Iskall, as if they could see what they were doing, forced to sit and watch as they hurt their friends, no control over themselves. Jellie slowly approached Mumbo, before she walked right up to the redstoner, rubbing her head against Mumbo’s hand. The redstoner shakily began to pet her head, trying not to panic as the brainwashed cat crawled into Mumbo’s lap, looking right at the redstoner with her glowing eyes.

“Now now, keep him calm, Jellie.” Celeste said, approaching the mustached redstoner, who couldn’t seem to notice them, too entranced by the cat curled up in his lap. Celeste had a small smile on her face, as she cupped her hands around one of the glowing stars in the room, crushing it in the palm of her hands. The watcher opened her hand, a glowing silver dust in her hands. She took a small breath, blowing the dust into Mumbo’s face, the redstoner closing his eyes, barely reacting to the glittering dust on his face, which soon disappeared, an eerie purple glow surrounding the redstoner. Enzo stepped forward, snapping his fingers. Mumbo groggily opened his eyes, rubbing his head in pain, his mind calm and tranquil.

“Now Mumbo..” Enzo said, smiling at the confused redstoner.

“Tell us what you know about Grian.”

~~~~~~~~

Grian was in the back of the group, his ear slightly twitching from nervousness. He and the hermits silently walked through the tunnel, no one speaking as they trudged through the muddy passageway. His purple robe dragged through the sludge on the ground, dirtying his silk cloak. The ex-watcher let out a bothered sigh, his mind too clouded with stress to worry about the bloodstained cloak that he kept wrapped around him. It was the first thing the watchers gave Grian when they found him, the warm silk comforting the small evolutionist after the loss of his friends.

“Grian? You alright Luv?” Stress asked, placing a hand on Grian’s shoulder, watching as his face went pale from shock, as he was deep in thought. The ex-watcher put on a weak smile, nodding his head. He wasn’t alright, not even in the slightest. Xisuma was in danger, Tango and Iskall were under the watcher’s control, and who knows what’s happening to Mumbo? Grian had never trusted the watchers, even when they showered him in gifts, treating him like royalty. The small hermit always knew the watchers were horrible, they made Grian’s fellow evolutionists fight one another, chaos bringing the server to its knees. They did the same thing here, Xisuma had made everyone paranoid so that no one would try to band together to try and defeat the otherworldly beings. The only difference was that the hermits didn’t kill each other, they didn’t often fight, and they’re sticking together. So why didn’t the hermit’s fight, but the evolutionists did?

The small hermit slammed into Doc’s back, stumbling back while holding his nose in pain, he hadn’t been paying attention when the hermits stopped walking. An old ladder was at the end of the tunnel, leading to Hermitville. TFC went first, poking his head out and scanning the area to make sure it was clear, his eyes going wide in shock as he studied the grey landscape. Black ash flew with the wind, a dark smog making the air dirty and filled with smoke. Hermitville was completely demolished, piles of burned wood and rubble almost in every corner. The older hermit was dumbfounded, exiting the tunnel and trying to find anything that hadn’t been destroyed, the world seemed to be drained of color.

“Tin? Tin! Is it safe to come-” Scar climbed up the ladder, stopping when he noticed the destroyed village. It didn’t look like hermitville, it looked like another world, the air barely breathable. Stress and Doc crawled out of the hole as well, the four hermits, (not including the unconscious cubfan resting in Doc’s arms), all studying the burned village. Scar held his breath as he found the rubble of his old house, large chunks of his beanstalk still aflame, slowly wasting away. Stress managed to find a puddle surrounding the ruins of her ice house, Doc and TFC looking around for the spot where the old portal tower used to be.

“All my hard work..” Scar mumbled, kicking the rubble while pulling his hat over his face, struggling to hide his tearful expression. Stress walked over to the terraformer, saying nothing, only standing by his side, her eyes glued to the burned materials. No one spoke, their lungs burning from the blackened air, things seeming to turn worse and worse by the second. Grian pulled on his cloak, still hiding away in the tunnel. He didn’t know what to say to the hermits, he didn’t know how they would react. The ex-watcher didn’t want to see the rubble, as he leaned against the dirt wall, his cloak soaking in the muddy water. 

Echoing footsteps splashed through the water, Grian raised an eyebrow as he peered down the dark tunnel, two figures slowly approaching, one dragging an axe through the mud, the other loading an arrow in their bow. The small hermit turned to run, but the one holding the bow was much faster, managing to shoot the end of Grian’s cloak, the arrow lodging into the ground. Grian pulled on the fabric, trying to rip his cloak in order to escape the approaching figures. They didn’t move any faster, the figure’s eyes glowing through the dark passageway. Grian couldn’t think straight, the only thing he could think of was to run, but his legs wouldn’t obey, shaking as Iskall and Tango revealed themselves through the shadows.

“Hello Grian.” Iskall said, holding their axe to Grian’s neck, small beads of sweat dripping down the side of the ex-watcher’s face, as Tango grabbed his shoulders, the two watcher servants smiling as they seemed to tower over Grian, the small hermit seeming even smaller than before. Grian was shaking, no idea what to do, his lungs gasping for breath. Panic flooded Grian’s mind, causing him to hyperventilate, Grian unable to scream for help. Iskall just laughed, their evil smile clearly not their own, which couldn’t help but remind Grian of the watcher’s very own sinister grin.

“We need to hurry. No need to keep the watchers waiting.”


	21. Chapter 21

"You see, my great watchers, we'd have to rebuild the entire--" Xisuma quickly shut up with the wave of a hand, the two otherworldly beings smiling as Tango and Iskall tugged Grian into the darkroom. The admin sunk into the shadows, barely visible other than his glowing blue eyes, his piercing glare horrifying Grian. Celeste set down Jellie, the small cat leading out of the shadowy room, with the two brainwashed hermits following close behind. When they were out of sight, Enzo seemed to disappear with a small cloud of dust, fading away as the dust cleared.

"Grian, good to see you," Enzo said with a slight grin, reappearing behind the former magic-user, while placing a hand on the small hermit's shoulder, watching with great intent as the color drained from Grian's face. The small hermit didn't even look back at the watcher who stood tall, Grian practically froze in fear. Enzo let out a light chuckle, clapping his hands together and creating chains that were seemingly made of dark magic. The shackles bond Grian's arms to his side, before bringing the small hermit to his knees, Celeste clapping her hands with a playful laugh, amused by their former prodigy's pain.

"You can never escape us Grian," Celeste spoke softly, taking a kind tone of voice as she stepped forward, gently lifting the former watcher's chin, forcing the small hermit to look at her. "You'll be back. You'll always come crawling back to us because we love you, unlike these puny hermits. Now unless you want more problems for all of these simple hermits, you'll comply with us."

"You killed my friends!" Grian cried, hot tears slowly rolling down his face, his cheeks turning red as the repressed memories of Evo seemed to come back, as if the blockade holding back his memories finally broke, everything he had spent so long trying to forget returning within seconds. Enzo hastily rolled his eyes, while Celeste's sweet smile never changed, the otherworldly woman sitting down in her gold and violet dress, wiping the tears from Grian's puffy red eyes. Her soft touch was comforting, the faint smell of lavender filling the air as Celeste looked to Xisuma, nodding her head at the admin. He faded even deeper into the shadows, the darkroom similar to the infinity room in Grian's base, other than the dark color of the walls and little lighting.

"It was for the best. You know why we had to eliminate the evolutionists." Celeste cooed, stroking Grian's sandy blonde hair while the small hermit hushed his sobs, wiping the tears onto the crimson red sleeve of his torn-up sweater. The otherworldly creature shook her head as she clicked her tongue in a disapproving manner, snapping her fingers and conjuring up a silk cloak, almost identical to the one Grian had lost moments before. Celeste wrapped the cloak around the small watcher, who hung his head, his eyes glued to the chains wrapped around his wrists. Celeste just patted Grian on the head, her soft, yet manipulative words seeming to sink into Grian's mind, stirring his subconscious. Celeste stood up, clapping her hands together with a sweet smile, Xisuma reemerging from the shadows, but he wasn't alone. Mumbo had a chain wrapped around his neck, seeming to be made out of dark magic, just like Grian's very own shackles.

"There there, no more tears my dear. Let's hurry and get this over with." The watcher said with a sickeningly sweet voice, purple sparks flying out of her hands and forming a small dagger. Xisuma took a graceful bow, holding tight to the chain that was wrapped around the nervous redstoner's neck. Mumbo's visible shaking made Grian want to throw up, the mustached hermit looking to Grian, his face sickly pale and horrified. Celeste gently dragged the dagger across Mumbo's cheek, blood slowly flowing out of the cut, the watcher barely paying attention to the redstoner, who winced in pain as she continued to dig her blade through his skin. When she finally pulled away, Mumbo dropped to the ground, completely unconscious.

"I don't understand, Grian. Why pity these hermits?" Celeste asked, turning to her apprentice, showing off the bloodstained blade as if it was a trophy, a sick smile on her face. Grian looked to Xisuma, the admin grabbing Mumbo by his ankles and dragging him back into the shadows without hesitation. Enzo held Grian's chin, forcing the small hermit to look away from his friend and back at the two watchers, the chains around his body seeming to tighten with every little breath he took. "These hermits will die, Grian. They'll pass away before you will, and you'll be heartbroken once more. So why get attached? Even when you know you'll lose them?"

"Oh dear, Enzo. You've made him cry once more." Celeste growled at her fellow watcher, Enzo mumbling a few words at his fellow watcher, seeming to be in an enchanted language, most likely cursing at her. The watcher's pointed ear slightly twitched as she narrowed her eyes at Enzo, but she only turned back to Grian, a smile forming on her lips as she studied her prodigy's broken expression, the small hermit choking back his sobs. Celeste clicked her tongue and with a wave of her hand, the chains around Grian disappeared into thin air.

"Come along, dear. We have much to prepare for. Before you showed up, we were planning the future of this little server." Celeste said, turning her back on Grian and moving beside Xisuma. Enzo narrowed his eyes at the small hermit, grabbing his wrist and holding tight to the watcher, his nails digging into Grian's skin. Celeste lifted an eyebrow at Enzo, who growled as he let go of Grian, the small watcher letting out a sigh of relief as he held his wrist in pain. "Enzo, enough. You may not trust Grian, but we need him. He's one of us for a reason."

"Because you grew attached to him," Enzo said with a scoff, turning his back on his fellow watcher, who clenched her fists, dark aura forming around her hands.

"I SAID ENOUGH."

After a few moments of silence, Xisuma cleared his throat, stepping forward as he broke the silence. The admin extended his hand, a blue, galaxy-like smog escaping from his gloved hand. The mist twisted and turned before it seemed to transform, changing from a cloud of blue smog into the familiar HermitCraft shopping district. It was an exact replica, almost like a hologram of sorts. The admin wasn't phased by his powers, he didn't seem to care much for his abilities, Xisuma practically shrouded with mystery.

"Right. Now, if we could continue from when we left off," The admin pointed to Sahara, the ground by the glass display which held all of the Architect's diamonds. "Mumbo told us everything we needed to know about the hermits and all of their strengths and weaknesses. He said that their little hiding spot is located here. And due to your magic, oh great watchers, we know that he cannot be lying to us. Now all that's left to do is round the hermits up, and bring them to the Sahara courtyard, then we can begin with the final step of the plan."

"Excellent work, my faithful admin," Enzo said with a smile, Xisuma seeming to receive excessive amounts of joy from the watcher's encouraging words. The admin and watcher quickly began to discuss many things that Grian couldn't seem to understand, Enzo and Xisuma walking out of the infinity room, discussing plans for the future of HermitCraft. Celeste turned back to her prodigy, her sick smile, and confident glare throwing the small watcher into a state of panic, holding his breath as Celeste gently took his hand, placing the bloody knife which was used to hurt Mumbo into the palms of Grian's hands.

"MumboJumbo is safe, for now. If you don't listen to me, Grian, he'll be killed, and you'll have to watch. Tomorrow night is the beginning of the end, my dear. Tomorrow we shall bring this world to its knees, and you have a key part to play, Grian." Celeste stopped for a moment, pushing the hair out of the small hermit's face and behind his ear, a sweet smile on the watcher's calm and gentle face.

"Grian my dear, we care about you, and these hermits fear you. Make the right choice, and then let us show those Hermits. We will take full control over HermitCraft, and all who inhabit it.."


	22. Chapter 22

“Wakey, Wakey, MumboJumbo..” A strange voice hissed, someone grabbing the mustached hermit by his neck, their fingernails digging into his skin, Mumbo crying out in pain. He was thrown against the concrete floor, the sound of heels clicking slowly fading away, but Mumbo knew that Celeste was still in the room, somewhere. The redstoner slowly got to his knees, Mumbo opening his eyes as he slowly studied the Sahara meeting room, Celeste standing by the glass window that looked out on the courtyard. A few hermits had been rounded up by Tango, Iskall, and Xisuma, all exits heavily guarded, seemingly no escape from the watcher’s grasps.

“I’m glad you're finally up.” Celeste spoke calmly, looking out on the setting sun, the warm glow of the sun beginning to fade over the shopping district. The otherworldly being snapped her fingers, a purple aura surrounding Mumbo, as he began to float off the ground, before he was pulled through the air at incredible speed. Before he hit the glass window, Mumbo suddenly stopped, dropping onto the concrete floor beside Celeste. She lightly chuckled, bending down and offering the redstoner her hand, with Mumbo nervously taking it. The tall watcher helped the hermit stand, the two looking out at the fighting between the watchers and hermits, False attempting to stab Enzo, but was thrown against a wall by his magic. They were no match for the watchers.

“Grian really cares about you, MumboJumbo.” Celeste said in a blank tone of voice, narrowing her eyes at the hermits below them. Grian was nowhere to be found, he seemed to be missing from the watchers group, which slightly worried the mustached hermit. Celeste burst into light and happy laughter, which made Mumbo want to laugh along with her. “I can see your worry, Grian is perfectly safe. He is only saving his energy for sunset tomorrow.”

“Sunset..?” Mumbo questioned, raising an eyebrow at the watcher, who kept her eyes glued to the courtyard. Her lips formed a calm smile, her eyes narrowing as she studied Xisuma.

“Tomorrow at sunset, Grian, Xisuma, Enzo and I shall use our abilities to create an entirely new world. It shall be perfect, a new realm for our loyal followers to enhabit. We’ll leave this world to burn, and live in a perfect world, where you hermits cannot resist our abilities. They will either submit to my control, or they will be eliminated.”

“So why are you telling me..?” Mumbo stuttered, nervously playing with his thumbs, watching as Celeste began to laugh once more, but this time her laughter seemed cruel, evil in a way.  
“Oh Mumbo. It won’t matter. You made Grian go against us, the only reason he fought against us was because of you.” Celeste hissed in a rude tone of voice, the redstoner stumbling backwards as the watcher raised her hand, a swift move of her wrist, and purple sparks flew out of her hands, swirling around Mumbo’s head. Within seconds, the redstoner fell limp, completely unconscious. The watcher chuckled a bit, turning back to the glass and peering out the window, an evil grin stuck on her face.

“Tomorrow, MumboJumbo, you will be eliminated at sunrise. You’re going to pay for what you’ve done to Grian.”

~~~~

“Doc…?”  
“What is it, Scar?”

“How much longer..? It feels like we’re lost..” Scar said fearfully, glancing around the spruce forest nervously, the shadows of the night no match for the three stars in the sky, all glowing nearly as bright as the sun. The glowing stars lit up the sky, making the illusion that it was day, although it was the middle of the night. The three stars resting in the sky have seemed to grow over time, their light growing stronger every night. And although the stars above the group lit the way for the lost hermits, the frosty wind blew through the trees, the light from the stars seeming to offer no heat or warmth, offering quite the opposite. Stress shivered as the icy wind brushed against her rosy pink cheeks, the brit pulling her pink sweater tighter around herself. She looked to TFC and Doc, the two leading the small group, both practically blue as they marched along.

“Maybe we should stop here and rest..” Stress suggested with a shiver, Scar eagerly nodding in agreement. Doc, still holding Cubfan in his arms, growled underneath his breath. He didn’t want to stop, the creeper hybrid wanting to get to the others as soon as possible. Since the portal had been destroyed, (along with the rest of hermitville), they had to move on foot, which could take days if they were constantly stopping to rest. Doc opened his mouth to argue, But Scar had already leaned down against a spruce tree, his hat covering his face as he let out a few light snores. Tin rolled his eyes, picking a couple of twigs off the ground and throwing the firewood into a pile. The elder hermit began to strike a couple of rocks together, sparks igniting small flames on the sticks before the freezing wind struck once more, blowing out the flames within seconds.

“It’s no use,” TFC said, rubbing his hands together, the temperature dropping faster by the second. “The wind won’t let us start a fire, we need to find a safer place to set up camp.”

“Or maybe we should just keep moving!” Doc spoke, setting Cub onto the cold ground below him, the creeper pulling on his torn lab coat in an attempt to stop the harsh winds from giving him frostbite. “We need to stop the watchers from hurting anyone else! Who knows what’s going on now! The others need us!”

“We’re no help if we don’t rest. It’ll only be a couple of minutes, Doc.” Tin said, relaxing on the soft grass underneath them. Doc let out a frustrated sigh, the creeper turning away and storming off, the harsh winds blowing cold air directly at Doc, who simply brushed off the frigid temperature, and kept moving. The creeper mumbled a few curses in German, leaving the other hermits behind, the normally bright forest seeming to turn dark within seconds, blue mist swirling around Doc’s feet, who didn’t pay much attention to it at first until the fog began to rise, the hybrid barely able to see his hand in front of his face. The creeper grumbled as he took a seat on the ground, folding his arms in a huff as he began to wait for the sudden mist to fade. The sound of hostile mobs was faint, but Doc could hear the monsters, which didn’t seem to burn in the starlight.

“Why won’t they understand?!” Doc grumbled, running his hand through his ruffled hair, clearly upset about being stuck in the dark forest, alone. “If they would just listen to me!”

“Oh, dear. That soundsssss like a problem that I can help with…” A slippery voice whispered, their voice seeming to be inside Doc’s mind, instead of coming from around him. Doc quickly got to his feet, glancing around the blue mist in search of the voice, but to no avail. The grass rustled around Doc, something moving rather quickly towards him. The creeper nervously backed up against a spruce tree, hoping someone would see the peril that he was in, but clearly, no one was around. The creeper glanced around before spotting a large stick, quickly grabbing it off the ground and waving it around as if it were a threatening dagger. 

“W-who’s there?” Doc growled, attempting to cover up his fear by sounding threatening. The mist around the creeper began to subside, slowly but surely fading away, the glowing starlight turning things visible once more, Doc looking around for the voice that had spoken to him earlier. The trees above the creeper shook a bit, the wind beginning to swirl around him as if Doc had been stuck in the center of a tornado, and amidst the chaos, faint laughter echoed through the cyborg creeper’s mind, a familiar voice speaking to him once more.

“Why Doc, I can help you with your little problem..” The voice whispered, Doc shaking his head in an attempt to fight the strange temptations, although the familiar voice in the creeper’s head continued to speak, her words peaking Doc’s interests.

“You like power, yes? A way to show those...hermits that you are in charge..?” She whispered a bit, the voice’s calm tone relaxing Doc’s shoulders, the creeper hesitantly taking a seat on the soft grass below him, the cold wind now feeling like a peaceful, summer breeze, the creeper letting his cares drift away with the wind, Doc mindlessly nodded along with her words. Suddenly, rustling came from a patch of tall grass in front of the creeper, a pearlescent snake slithering out of the grass. Doc snapped out of his hypnotic trance upon sight of Ancel, holding tight to the stick that he had deemed a weapon, holding it in front of himself in an attempt to protect himself.

“Poor Doc. All alone.” Ancel hissed, curling around the stick that Doc held, slowly making her way towards the hybrid, who was seemingly frozen in fear. The magical snake made her way around the stick, her tail beginning to curl around Doc’s fingers, the creeper slowly loosening his grip, before he dropped the twig in his hands, his arm going limp at his side. Ancel flicked her tongue with glee, curling around Doc’s wrist and squeezing it, his fingers slowly losing circulation. “But I can help you..”

“G-....go on..?”

“You want power, you yearn for it. I can give you similar abilities to what I gave Xisumavoid, that being hypnosis, teleportation, and telepathy. With this power, you’ll be able to bend these hermits to your will. I only ask one thing in return.” Ancel promised, Doc raising an eyebrow in intrigue. The creeper lifted his arm to his neck, letting the snake release her grip on his wrist, and instead wrap around his neck. Doc stood up, placing a finger on his chin as he paced back and forth, mumbling a bit as he remembered the power that Xisuma held and the power that he, himself, could hold.

“Alright, Ancel. Let’s say I agree. What’s this ‘one thing’ you want in return..?” Doc questioned as he gently stroked Ancel’s head, the snake curling tighter and tighter around the creeper’s neck, to the point where Doc was practically choking, but he didn’t seem to feel any pain.

“You will bring the hermits to the Sahara courtyard by sunrise. That is when MumboJumbo shall be executed. If you can bring the hermits to the courtyard before sunrise, you keep your powers. If you don’t, I’ll continue to possess your body and mind. MumboJumbo is going to be an example, and once the hermits see what will happen if you disobey the watchers, they will cower in fear. Now, do you want to have all the power you could ever ask for?

Or would you rather go back to your miserable life?”

“I….

I’ll do anything you say, Ancel.” Doc said with no emotion in his voice.

“I’ll take care of those pesky hermits.”


	23. Chapter 23

TinFoilChef let out a light yawn, rubbing his tired eyes as he glanced around the dim forest, a dark blue cloud of fog turning the spruce forest into a nightmare-ish atmosphere, seemingly something out of a horror movie. The elder hermit looked to Stress and Scar, both fast asleep, the light breeze rustling the two brunette’s messy hair. It had been a while since the group had gotten a decent night’s sleep, TFC suspected the two would be asleep for quite some time. CubFan was still unconscious, but the glowing blue streaks across his body seemed to be fading, which was hopefully a good sign. Tin stood up, stretching his arms over his head, listening to the faint sound of footsteps slowly approaching. The older hermit glanced around the misty terrain until he was able to spot a tall figure walking through the blue fog, Doc’s robotic eye glowing a dark crimson through the smog.

“Doc? Is that you?” TFC asked quietly, hoping not to wake the two sleeping hermits behind him. The older hermit squinted his eyes, the sound of Doc’s laughter echoing through the trees. The crimson of the cyborg’s eye began to fade away, the bright red slowly transforming into an electric blue. Before the older hermit could speak once more, Doc raised his hand, the same blue glow surrounding the palm of his hand. Within seconds, TFC felt completely weightless, his body floating above the ground, with a dark blue aura surrounding him. The creeper waved his hand, Tin being thrown backward, his body slamming onto the ground. Doc stepped out of the mist, chuckling under his breath. The pearlescent snake around the creeper’s neck shifted at the sight of TFC, Ancel flicking her tongue and narrowing her eyes at Tin.

“D-doc, what are you doing?!” TFC asked with a stutter, the creeper simply laughing as he slowly approached the older hermit. A dark aura surrounded Doc’s fists, and with a snap of the creeper’s fingers, TinFoil was lifted off the ground once more. The older hermit’s arms were forced to his side, TFC now froze in mid-air. Doc erupted in evil laughter once more, using his magic to violently throw Tin against a large spruce tree, the older hermit breaking through the tree’s trunk. Scar snapped awake at the cracking of a tree, his eyes going wide as the gigantic spruce tree began to tumble, Scar grabbing Stress’s wrist and jumping out of the way, right before the large tree could crush the two.

“Awe, do you two want to join our little game?” Doc hissed, turning his attention away from TFC and looking towards Scar and Stress, the two still frazzled from their near-death experience. The creeper raised his hand, snapping his fingers with a dark grin strung across his face. Stress lowered her head as the dark blue aura surrounded her body, the magical glow seeming to sink into her body. Seconds after, she fell to the ground, going completely limp. Scar moved to help her, but he was held back, the same magic surrounding his body. The terraformer was lifted off the ground, Doc slowly walking towards him, the creeper keeping his eyes glued to the snake around his neck, who he spoke to underneath his breath. Doc nodded his head at whatever Ancel had told him, and with a wave of his hand, Scar was slowly lowered, a few inches off the ground, but he was now eye level with the brainwashed creeper.

“What should I do with this one, Ancel?” Doc mumbled to the magical creature, the snake narrowing her beady eyes at Scar, small droplets of nervous sweat slowly cascading down the side of the terraformer’s head. Ancel flicked her tongue, the magical snake’s eyes beginning to glow a dark shade of navy, Doc’s eyes glowing a very similar blue, they seemed to be communicating telepathically. When the glow seemed to fade, the creeper had a large smile on his face, one hand gently stroking Ancel’s head, while he rose the other. Doc snapped his fingers, Scar dropping to the ground, no longer encapsulated by the snake’s magic. Before he could get to his feet, the terraformer was met by Stressmonster, who held a small dagger, which seemed to radiate with dark magic.

“Str-stress..?” Scar asked as he struggled to gasp for breath, looking up at the Brit’s stone-cold expression, both her sclera and her iris glowing a dark blue. Stress grabbed the terraformer by the collar of his shirt, forcing him to stand, although his shaking legs showed how weak he had become, Scar couldn’t stand without leaning on the short Brit next to him. Doc chuckled a bit, gently removing Ancel from around his neck and let the snake curl around his wrist, the cyborg extending his hand so that Scar and Ancel were eye length with one another.

“You like what I’ve done with them..?” Ancel said in a small voice, the pearlescent snake shifting into the palm of Doc’s hands. “If I hadn’t done it, then the watcher’sss would have done it themselvessss..”

“W-wha-”

“They’re powerlesssss now,” Ancel said, answering Scar’s question before he could even ask it, making the terraformer wonder if she had been reading his mind. “You know what it was like when you were under Xisuma’ssss power. Whoever I control hasss the power of the watchersss. And I will use my host to control whatever hermit disobeysss the watchersss…”

“But why?! And what are you doing to them?” Scar asked, shutting his mouth rather quickly, as Stress moved her blade closer to Scar’s neck, a sinister smile reaching to the ends of her face. Ancel nodded her head at the Brit, who grumbled a bit, but she lowered her weapon. The snake studied the terraformer, before looking back at Doc, flicking her tongue at him. The creeper nodded his head in understanding, snapping his fingers once more. Stress’s blade disappeared into thin air and the Brit fell to her knees, before falling onto the grass, unconscious.

“I’ll be taking you and your friendsssss back to the watcherssss...They’ve got a plan for hermitcraft, and we’re running lat-” The snake stopped mid-sentence, glancing around while flicking her tongue nervously. The wind began to pick up, the clouds covering the sun as it began to rise. The trees shook violently, Scar holding tight to his hat, the winds attempting to lift him off the ground. A snap from someone’s fingers stopped the winds, the forest turning quiet within seconds. Ancel jumped out of Doc’s hands, slithering through the grass, before stopping, watching as the strike of lightning hit the ground, Enzo appearing out of the storm, his scolding glare especially harsh.

“Ancel-”

“I-I-I’m sssssorry, my watcher, I had to find sssomeone to posssssess a-a-and-”

“It’s quite alright. I’ll deal with you in a bit. We’re running late, and Celeste wants to get this over with before Grian finds out. Now let’s get this over with.” Enzo said carelessly, snapping his fingers. Ancel disappeared into a cloud of blue dust, fading away with the wind. The watcher turned to Scar, glancing between both Doc and Stress, both unconscious. Enzo shook his head, snapping his fingers once again, with the two hermits disappearing in a cloud of blue smog. The watcher looked to TFC, the older hermit struggling to his feet, he had seemingly broken more than a few bones. Within a blink of an eye, Tin was surrounded by the same blue cloud of dust, disappearing once it had cleared.

“Now, let’s get you back,” Enzo said to Scar, the watcher raising his hand.

“W-wait!” Scar called out nervously, the watcher raising an eyebrow, slowly lowering his hand, waiting for the terraformer to continue. Scar let out a shaky breath, intimidated by the otherworldly being that stood before him. He didn’t know what to say, at a loss for words, unable to speak to Enzo. The watcher rolled his eyes, pressing his finger against Scar’s forehead and mumbling a few words underneath his breath. After a minute of silence, Enzo pulled away, his hand on his chin as he studied Scar, who was shaking with fear.

“You’re afraid that I’ll kill you. You can barely even speak.” Enzo said after having seen Scar's mind, the watcher narrowing his eyes at the terraformer. The watcher let out a singular chuckle, swiftly waving his hand. Scar was lifted off the ground once more, now eye level with Enzo, who’s pointed ear twitched as he studied the terraformer. Enzo turned away, Scar dropping onto the soft grass below him, the watcher snapping his fingers, with a bit of mist forming a small, grey creature, who’s green eyes seemed to faintly glow, Jellie happily bouncing around, filled with energy.

Scar watched as the small cat approached him, his pet rubbing her head against Scar’s cheek. When the terraformer reached out to pet her, the cat faded into nothingness, simply an illusion made by Enzo. She had seemed so real like she was right there, and yet she was gone. 

"You'll get her back, Scar." Enzo said softly, watching as tears pricked at the edge of Scar's eyes. "The watchers only want to make you happy, and we will. But first..." Enzo took a knee by Scar, who was too weak to get up off the ground. The watcher smiled, pressing two fingers against the terraformer’s forehead, Scar’s green eyes getting slowly overtaken by a soft violet color. Once his eyes had been completely transformed, Enzo offered his hand, Scar taking it, never saying a word, his eyes empty, and his mind blank.

“You do not have to worry any longer, GoodTimesWithScar, the watchers will take good care of you....” Enzo said with a smile, ruffling Scar’s hair before snapping his fingers, the two being consumed in a dark purple cloud, within a few seconds, the two had been transported into the Sahara courtyard, Half of the hermits cowering in fear, the other half underneath Celeste and Enzo’s control. In the middle of the courtyard, there was a large stage, Celeste and Xisuma standing on it, Mumbo on his knees wrapped in dark purple chains. Celeste smiled as she spotted Enzo before she stepped forward, raising her arms and drawing the attention of all the hermits.

“Today, we shall show you what will happen if you go against our rule. We only want to save you poor hermits, and protect you. But, there are few among you that do not want our protection-” She paused, looking at Mumbo, who kept his head low, the brainwashed hermits booing the mustached man.

“It is time for MumboJumbo’s execution!”


	24. Chapter 24

Grian was worried.

The watchers had told him to get some rest, they wanted Grian to be strong enough before they took over all of hermitcraft. The small hermit knew what they wanted, they wanted control. He had seen it happen before, with Evo. The watchers tried to control the evolutionists, but it easily backfired, they didn't have someone like Xisuma to have their power.

The watcher's never told Grian their plan for hermitcraft, the only thing he knew was that it was all going to be destroyed, and the hermits were going to be led into a new world. They wouldn't hurt anyone, that's what Grian had been telling himself. He believed that they would spare the hermits, and having the hermits under their control is much better than killing them, right?

Grian didn't know anymore, the small hermit sitting upon the 'Big Logs' tree stump. He glanced at the empty shopping district, some shops burning in purple flames, others having been blown up by a large explosion. Grian let out a sad breath, pulling his cloak around him, trying to warm himself from the cold feeling that had engulfed him, little did he know it was the guilt that he couldn't get rid of.

The wind carried with it dark ash, the smell of fire and the world burning before the watcher. Was he making the right choice? Was this what Grian wanted? The small hermit didn't know, watching as the shops crumbled to the ground, everything now in ruins, besides the large building labeled 'Sahara.'

Grian looked at the building, which stood strong, the flames barely touching the large shop. It would be safer to head back, Grian couldn't breathe through the flames much longer. The short watcher stood up, sliding down the side of the tree stump, and walking through the streets, the flames parting as Grian walked towards them, as if they obeyed his will.

The small watcher tugged on the collar of his purple cloak, as he shot up through the bubblevator, heading towards the courtyard. He landed on the dark oak planks, Grian suddenly loosing his balance when a large amount of cheers came from the yard, seemingly coming from the hermits. The small watcher poked his head out of the shop, glancing at the large stage on the courtyard. 

His eyes widened at the sight of Mumbo, who was in chains. Celeste and Enzo stood over the redstoner, Xisuma approaching the stage, an axe made from a dark purple material in his gloved hand. The admin smiled from underneath his helmet, walking past the hermits, very few remaining who weren't under the watchers command.

Ren watched in horror, his sunglasses at the tip of his nose. He couldn't look away, although he wished he could, his stomach tying into knots.

Stress's eyes were puffy and red, filled with hot tears that streamed down her face. Behind her, Iskall had their hand on the Brit's shoulder, their smile insane and wide.

Scar's expression was calm, his pale violet eyes filled with no emotion. In his arms, Jellie was curled up, softly purring as the terraformer stroked her fur.

Doc was no longer under Ancel's control, and now he was being held back by Tango and Cubfan. The creeper hybrid thrashed, trying to escape and prevent Mumbo's death.

The rest were either being held back by the watcher's servants, or they were cheering in support of Xisuma.

"Stop!" Grian cried out, revealing his hiding spot. The watchers looked from one another back to their prodigy, both narrowing their eyes at the small watcher before them. Enzo growled underneath his breath, snapping his fingers. A figure appeared behind Grian, Jevin grabbing the small watcher. The slime's body was a dark purple, showing he was under the watcher's command.

"YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T HURT HIM!" Grian cried out, thrashing and screaming in the slime's arms, every time he tried to kick Jevin, his foot just went through the slime's body. Celeste chuckled a bit, Jevin carrying Grian past the other hermits and onto the stage. He dropped the small watcher, bowing before the otherworldly beings before him. 

Celeste waved her hand to dismiss the slime, who disappeared back into the crowd. She narrowed her eyes at Grian, bending down and gently placing two fingers underneath the small watcher's chin, lifting his head so that Grian would make eye contact with her, although his eyes were filled with tears.

"Grian, my dear. We can't let him roam free. He took you away from us, he convinced you that we're the bad guys. We're only trying to help you hermits.." Celeste explained in a calm voice, although her eyes were cold and evil. Grian could see this now, Celeste didn't care for him, she only needed the short watcher so that she could control everything.

"You are the bad guys!" Grian spat, Celeste taking a step back in shock, her lips pressed in a fine line, but she didn't say anything. The watcher raised her hand, snapping her fingers with a look of hatred on her face. Purple chains rose from the ground, wrapping around Grian's body and pulling him down, the small watcher's head slamming against the wooden stage.

"Fine. I was being kind. I told you to relax, so that you wouldn't have to see this. But now I will make you watch as you're close friend suffers a painful death." Celeste said in a cold voice, turning to Xisuma and nodding her head. The admin smiled, raising his axe over the defeated Redstoner.

Mumbo looked to Grian, his eyes filled with sorrow and tears. The Redstoner tried to hold them back, but they fell down his face, slipping off his cheek and onto the wooden stage. Mumbo mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’, before looking away, shutting his eyes as tight as he could.

Xisuma smiled, gripping the handle of his axe. The admin raising the weapon over his head. Cheers echoed through the courtyard, watching as Xisuma swiftly lowered his axe, before everything went silent, no cheering or crying, just silence.

The sight was jaw-dropping.


	25. Chapter 25

Silence.

Xisuma's eyes went wide, the admin unable to move, his body glowing and shaking.

The axe was a second away from killing Mumbo.

The weapon in the admin's hands suddenly exploded into thousands of miniature pieces, Xisuma getting thrown back into the wall by the violent explosion. All eyes turned to Grian, the small watcher radiating with energy. The chains wrapped around Grian's body began to change from the dark purple to a pearlescent white, before they turned into dust, fading away with the wind.

"You little brat! Why won't you just listen to me?!" Celeste growled, a purple aura surrounding her hands. She snapped her fingers, Xisuma reappearing beside the otherworldly creature. He held a bow that radiated dark energy, the admin narrowing his eyes at Grian. Enzo raised an eyebrow, moving to Celeste's side and mumbling something in her pointed ear. The talk watcher smiled, nodding in agreement to whatever Enzo had told her.

"We'll make you a deal, Grian." Celeste spike kindly, placing a hand on Xisuma's shoulder, the admin barely reacting, his emotions seemingly washed away. "You beat our admin in a fight, we won't kill Mumbo. But if you lose..." Enzo held Mumbo, a small dagger to the Redstoner's throat.

"Fine. But if I win, you have to let all of the other hermits go too." Grian growled, narrowing his eyes at the two creatures before him. Celeste pressed her lips together before she nodded, extending her hand towards Grian, the small watcher slapping it away.

Grian summoned his weapon, a glowing white blade forming in his hands. He was already incredibly tired, from breaking out of the watcher's chains, to simply summoning a weapon, he couldn't keep using his magic for much longer. Meaning Grian had to rely on his PVP skill alone to beat the magical admin.

Before Grian knew it, Xisuma appeared before him, the admin delivering a powerful kick that sent Grian flying backwards and slamming into the wall, which cracked as he made impact. The hermit cheered as this happened, while the remaining free hermits looked away, they couldn't bare to watch Grian fighting Xisuma.

"X-Xisuma..you need to snap out of it!" Grian tried to reason with him, the small watcher quickly raising his blade to block the admin slicing him in two. Xisuma held a new blade, radiating in dark energy. The admin's eyes were hidden away by his helmet, but Grian could see the look of hatred in his eyes.

The small watcher kicked Xisuma in the chest, giving him a chance to get away from the insane admin. The brainwashed hermit looked to the watchers, both of which gave disappointed stares, The admin biting his lip. He needed to win. Then everything would be okay. Everyone would be safe.

"Just stay still Grian!" Xisuma called, dragging his blade through the ground and glancing around the courtyard, looking for the former watcher. "I need to win this!"

"Xisuma, you're being controlled! Can't you see it?!" Grian called from his hiding spot, the admin narrowing his eyes at the custom spruce trees, where the small hermit's voice had been coming from. Xisuma slasher his blade through the air, which sent a blast of purple energy towards the trees, destroyingthem in a single blast.

"Where are you hiding you little brat?!" Xisuma and Celeste said in sync, their voice seemingly combined with one another's. Grian held his breath, hiding behind the large stage. A purple aura surrounded his body, the small watcher flying up in the air, before being thrown against the stage.

"Well Grian..." Xisuma spoke, The small watcher being met with the admin's weapon. A small smile cured on X's lips, the admin narrowing his eyes at the traitor. "Ready to give up?"

"Not even close." Grian said with a smirk, ripping the purple cloak off his body and throwing it onto Xisuma, who dropped his weapon and stumbled back, trying to get the silk cape off his head. Grian took his opportunity, getting off the ground and sweeping Xisuma off his feet, the admin tumbling off the stage and landing on his back.

Xisuma ripped the cloak in two, growling as he finally got the cloth off his face. His visor was cracked and his helmet was dented, he was beat up and exhausted, barely able to get off the ground.

"GET UP!"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"FIGHT HIM!"

Voices cried out from the crowd, Xisuma glancing around at all of the brainwashed hermits, struggling to reach for his weapon. The admin's arm went limp, Xisuma giving up on trying to win. He was slowly breathing, barely able to escape as he was met the tip of Grian's glowing sword. Xisuma narrowed his eyes at the former watcher, before laying his head back down onto the ground, closing his eyes.

"I give up. You win. Just make this quick." The admin growled, bracing himself for a swift and painful death. Grian bit his lip, looking back to the watchers, who both looked furious at Xisuma's loss. The small hermit looked away, shutting his eyes as he raised his weapon, before stabbing his blade into the ground.

"There. I won. Xisuma is defeated." Grian growled, looking back at the watchers, Celeste narrowing her eyes and snapping her fingers. Xisuma reappeared in midair, slamming down onto the stage, his body quivering in pain.

"Xisuma, prepare for the shift of worlds." Enzo growled, the admin struggling to push himself off the ground. He stood up, limping over towards the corner of the stage, trying to hide his face from the disapproving stares from the brainwashed hermits. He looked to Grian one last time, before a large purple screen appeared in front of the admin, Xisuma letting out a sad sigh and getting back to work.

"I won, so let the hermits go!" Grian commanded, the watchers looking between one another. Enzo roller his eyes, dropping Mumbo carelessly on the wooden stage flooring. Grian quickly ran to the Redstoner’s side, Mumbo seemingly unconscious.

“Mumbo? Mumbo wake up!” Grian cried, shaking the Redstoner by his shoulders. Celeste snapped her fingers, and Mumbo’s eyes suddenly opened, a dark purple now in place of the Redstoner’s normally hazel eyes. The mustached hermit stood up, his body stiff and waiting for a command.

“There. We didn’t kill your little friend.” Enzo growled, Celeste happily smiling as she placed a hand on Grian’s shoulder, the ex-watcher horrified.

“B-b-but you said-“

“It’s ready, my watchers.” Xisuma interrupted, the two watchers smiling with glee. Enzo snapped his fingers, and Mumbo suddenly grabbed Grian by his shoulders, putting the small hermit in a headlock. The ex-watcher thrashed in Mumbo’s arms, who let out a playful laugh, picking Grian up and carrying him towards the three other magic-users.

Xisuma moved the large purple screen into the middle of the stage, each of the magic users taking a corner. Mumbo stood behind Grian, a hand on the small hermit’s shoulder, tears filling Grian’s eyes. They each summoned a ball of energy, using their power to blast the command screen.

The screen began to morph, the world seeming to rip in two, revealing a large glowing portal in the center of the stage. Cheers echoed through the crowd, hermits laughing and happily celebrating.

“Beyond this portal lies a new world!” Enzo started, gesturing to the large portal, more cheers erupting from the crowds. “Once this world is destroyed, we shall start construction on an empire!”

One after the other, hermits rushed through the portal, disappearing into the world beyond. The remaining hermits who were not controlled had to be dragged their by force, the hermits struggling to put up a fight. Mumbo held tight to Grian’s shoulders, forcing him towards the portal.

“Mumbo,” A voice called, the brainwashed hermit suddenly stopping and turning to the source of the voice. Xisuma held his hands behind his back, the gleam in his visor preventing Grian from seeing the admin’s expression. “Go on ahead. I want to have a word or two with Grian...”

The mustached hermit smiled, bowing before the admin and disappearing beyond the portal. Grian was shaking, anxiously tugging on the red sleeves of his sweater, while Xisuma simply removed his helmet, the admin’s eyes watery and filled with hot tears.

“You....you spared my life..even when I was going to kill you...why..?” Xisuma questioned, Grian holding his breath a bit. He couldn’t tell if this was another one of the admin’s tricks, and it scared him.

“W-well...

I-I saw you and..

I saw myself....

Someone who’s scared of the watchers.”

Xisuma pauses for a moment, biting his lip. He wiped the tears out of his eyes, before the admin placed his helmet in Grian’s hands, much to the small hermit’s surprise.

“You’ll need this,” Xisuma said, the admin pausing once more. He reluctantly placed a hand on Grian’s shoulders, slightly smiling at the small hermit.

“Take care of the hermits....

Since I won’t be there for them.”

Xisuma pushed Grian through the portal, the last thing the small hermit saw was the admin’s tear filled smile, before Grian faded away into the new world.


	26. The end

Grian fell through the portal, his body being pulled at, before the small hermit was thrown into the sandy ground of an island, and gathered around the large portal, all of the hermits stood, awaiting the arrival of the watchers.

Grian was held back by a brainwashed MumboJumbo, the watcher followers silently waiting for their overlords to return to them. The small watcher glanced to Ren, Doc, and Stress, the three being held back by Jevin, Tango, Iskall, and False.

They were on a little island, and In the distance, a large mooshroom island. The watchers had created this place to build their empire, and yet the watchers were nowhere in sight. Grian has no idea what Xisuma was planning, but the small hermit’s stomach was tied up in knots, he didn’t know what to do.

The portal suddenly faded away, disappearing without a trace. Mutters arose from the brainwashed hermits, Grian only biting his lip, pleading that it wasn’t what he thought it was. If Xisuma did this, it would be the end. 

Minutes of silence passed, the hermits watching nervously at the spot where the portal used to be, waiting for something to happen, anything.

“Grian..?” Mumbo muttered, the small hermit looking up at the mustached Redstoner, his eyes returning to their normal hazel coloring. He let go of Grian, rubbing the back of his head in confusion. The small watcher looked towards the other hermits, all of which seemed to be slowly coming back to their senses.

“Oh no...” Grian muttered, his eyes going wide and tears slowly rolling down his cheeks.

He knew what had happened.

He just didn’t know how to tell the others.

He didn’t know how to tell them how the story ended.

~~~~~~

The admin let out a sad sigh, watching as Grian fell through the void, before his body was taken away into the new world. Xisuma summoned a purple screen, typing a long command on the screen, his eyes filling with tears. The admin held his breath, reluctantly reaching towards the 'enter' button. He clicked the large glowing button, which sealed up the portal, Xisuma quickly getting to work on the next line of code.

"Hello, Xisuma.." Enzo greeted their admin, who froze, his body shaking as he looked back at the two watchers who towered over him. They knew what he had done, Xisuma could tell by the look in their eyes. But they were smiling, a seemingly real smile.

"M-my watchers! What can I help you with..?" Xisuma questioned, the two watchers looking between one another, then back at the admin, Celeste taking a step forward and placing a hand on Xisuma's shoulder, locking eyes with the admin.

"Open the portal, Xisuma. Don't make a mistake you're going to regret." The watcher said in a cold tone, Xisuma's heart beginning to beat faster and faster, small beads of sweat dripping down the side of the admin's head. Xisuma swallowed the lump in his throat, struggling to choke out any response.

"N-...." the admin paused, barely able to disobey the watchers. He took in a deep breath, Xisuma trying to calm his shaking nerves before looking Celeste right in the eye. "No. I won't do it.."

"Open the damn portal!" Enzo growled, grabbing the admin by his shoulders and shaking him, the watcher getting pulled away by Celeste's magic. Celeste was definitely more calm than her partner, but it was clear she was mentally panicking.

"Xisumavoid. You know what you want to do."

"I want to protect my friends!"

Celeste bit her lip, looking to Enzo. She nodded at her partner, a small grin creeping on the male watcher's face. Enzo snapped his fingers, and a pearlescent snake appeared, coiled around the watcher's wrist. Ancel narrowed her glowing blue eyes at the admin, who took a step back, fearing for his sanity.

"You brought this upon yourself..." Enzo growled, placing Ancel on the ground, letting the snake make her way towards the admin. Xisuma was frozen in fear, his body quivering as Ancel curled around his leg, slowly making her way back to the admin's neck, where she would regain control over Xisuma's mind and body.

"N-no..please!" Xisuma screamed, the admin falling to his knees and clenching his hair, Tears spilt over and flowed down his face like a river escaping a dam. The admin cried out in pain, screaming at the top of his lungs whenever Ancel sunk her sharp fangs into his skin, spots of Xisuma's vision starting to go black. The admin reached out towards the watchers, his hand shaking, before the admin collapsed onto the ground.

Ancel took her perch on Xisuma's neck, the admin barely moving as she situated herself. Xisuma slightly twitched as Enzo clapped his hands together, before a familiar blue glow surrounded the admin's body, as if a galaxy was trapped in his armor. The admin stood upright, his body stiff and unmoving, his eyes a piercing blue.

"Now Xisuma," Celeste started in a calm and peaceful tone, the watcher smiling at the brainwashed admin. "let's try this again; Open. The. Portal."

"As you wish." He said with a bow, Xisuma reaching into his pockets and pulling out the golden circlet that had been gifted to him, the purple glow surrounding the golden headband. The admin adjusted the circlet before turning to the screen, mindlessly typing away at the glowing display.

"You're going to thank us later, Xisumavoid," Celeste started, placing her hands on the admin's shoulders and watching as he worked, Xisuma emotionless face never changing its expression. "You want what's best for your friends, and we're going to help them..."

The admin stopped typing for a moment, taking in a sharp breath. 

"You're right." Xisuma said, gently stroking the snake that was wrapped around his neck.

"I do want what's best for them."

The admin ripped the snake off from around his neck, throwing Ancel to the ground and holding her underneath his foot, the magical creature crying out in pain. Xisuma moved through the lines of code as fast as he could, before reaching a bright red button. He looked to the watchers, Enzo's expression filled with horror, and Celeste's filled with rage. Xisuma shut his eyes, and slammed his fist into the button, the glowing screen shattering as he did so.

Large purple fires seemed to explode out of the ground, the world beginning to shake and crumble, before seeming to rip itself apart. Celeste just laughed, Enzo looking at her as if she was insane.

"We can't die, Xisuma! If you think trapping us in a deleting world will protect your friends, it won't!" 

"You may not be able to die, but neither can I!" Xisuma exclaimed, tapping the golden circlet on his head with a slight grin, Celeste's enraged expression causing the admin to lightly chuckle. "And if this world is deleted, there's only one place that we can go."

"The in-between.." Enzo mumbled underneath his breath, before grabbing Xisuma by the shoulders, violently shaking the admin. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?! It will be hundreds of years before we're strong enough to escape that prison! By the time we get out, all of your friends will be dead!"

"I know.." Xisuma mumbled, looking to the floor. "But that means you'll never hurt them again."

Before Enzo could respond, he was engulfed in flames, disappearing in a few seconds without a trace. Celeste glared at Xisuma one last time, before she herself faded away, being transported back to the in-between. Purple flames surrounded the admin, who closed his eyes, a singular tear gently streaming down the admin's cheek.

"I'll protect you guys, for all of eternity if I have too." He said aloud, the flames rising before reaching his head, Xisuma fading away into the watcher's prison, ready to spend the rest of his life with the two otherworldly beings.


End file.
